List
by AngelWing1138
Summary: There is a list of words that can describe every part of life. One hundred drabbles and one shots
1. Hope

A/N: I've started another mini-project, since it seems that I can only write little drabbles lately. I will update my on-going stories when I can, you all just have to be patient with my if you do read them. I hope you enjoy this little set of drabbles! There will be one hundred of them, as I'm following a list that I got off of YT from a beautiful video called 'E u p h o r i a'. You should watch it if you ever get the chance. If you want it, just PM me with a message asking for it. I'll be happy to send it.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Settings belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Kneeling in front of the pool of water, brown eyes watched the yellow and white petals float by. The young woman sighed, curled by the edge, her knees up to her chest and arms wrapped around her shins, chin resting on top of her knees. It had become a common practice of hers to come to the old church, crouch in front of the healing water and watch the petals float by, thinking about everything and nothing.

Glancing up, she caught sight of the shined sword that a man with black, spiked back hair used to use, who then gave it to her guardian. She smiled at the thought of her guardian, who seemed to be slowly coming out of the shell he made for himself over the last few years. He was such a quiet, imposing young man, still a child in a way for he never got the chance to truly grow up. It made her sad to think that he had missed the chance to experience five years of his life; that he had matured at the age of sixteen and would never get those five years of childhood back.

Pushing back some hair, she sat fully on the ground, removing her sneakers and dipping her feet into the surprisingly warm water. She smiled, leaning her head back, taking in the sparse rays of sunlight that showed through the gaps in the roof from age and decay, as well as from the outcomes of many battles. Rubble of broken barrels lay among the pews of the church, the banisters above having one or two rotting away due to moisture and a constantly warm climate. She remembered her guardian explaining to her once why the barrels were broken around her—that he had fought to save an important person from some mean people at the time. The thought reminded her that her guardian had a kind, loving and protective heart under his thick covering.

She opened her eyes then, and stared at the sky through the broken roof, staring at the endless clouds. She remembered that it was here that her guardian's story had truly started. This was where he had met the one person who would change everything about the world they lived in now.

This was the place where the original owner of the sword had fallen through, meeting the young girl who one day would save the world. This was where her guardian stayed during his time of illness, taking in the comfort of familiar ghosts. This was where the cure for geo stigma came from.

Marlene glanced back at the sword that a 1st Class SOLDIER had once owned with pride, smiling lightly.

This was where all hope for the Planet began.


	2. Reach

A/N: Here ya go.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Everything seemed fuzzy from where he sat.

He was on something uncomfortable and shaking and he tried to shift into something comfortable. Yet he couldn't. He tried to look around, to gain some sort of bearings. Yet he couldn't. He tried to say something, to ask what was going on. Yet he couldn't. All he could do was sit. Sit and breathe and inwardly panic.

And hear.

He jolted inside, ears straining to catch the words of a person sitting not-too-far from him. What was he saying…?

"_So, what are you going to do once we get to Midgar?"_

Midgar? He knew that name…Where did he know that name…?

"_I know what I'm going to do."_

What was this guy even talking about? And his walking around was making his seat vibrate oddly. Was he wearing really heavy boots or something?

"_I got a place I can crash for a while…"_

Did he? Was he going to leave him?

"_No wait, the mother lives there, too…"_

…Was he planning on staying at a girl's house or something?

"_Guess that's out…"_

Well, looks like he had been planning on staying at a girl's house.

"_Yep…Gotta change my plans!"_ Hopefully to accommodate him, right? Since he didn't know what was going on…And this yammer-mouth was the only person he knew so far.

"_Hmm…No matter what I do, I need money first."_ Money…Did he have money? Did he even have a job? He couldn't…remember…

"_Hey, wanna start a business? But what could we do?" _Well, he could be a paperweight. He seemed to be getting a lot of practice. And this guy _(Z…)_, he could rent him out to people to be a paperweight. Was that a plan? Too bad he couldn't voice it.

"_Hey, Cloud."_ Was that his name? Cloud…It triggered some sort of memory. He slowly blinked and thought he could see a smile on the other person. _"Think there's anything I'd be good at?"_ Talking to someone? Maybe giving advice or something. That involved a lot of talking, right? And this guy didn't seem to shut up…

"_Hey old guy!"_ Wait, there was someone else here? Wait…This bumping seemed familiar…It made him feel kind of stomach sick…Were they in a truck? Was this guy (_Za…)_ talking to the driver? _"What do you think I'd be good at?"_

The driver answered, but he (Cloud) couldn't hear him above the rattling (truck). Maybe they were driving over desert…? Was Midgar a place?

"_Try everything…That's easy for him to say."_ What had the driver said? Why couldn't Cloud hear him like this yammer-head could? _"HEY!"_

Cloud swore he would've jumped if he could.

"_Of course!"_ Of course…What? _"I've got a lot of brains and skill that other guys don't!"_ Were brains…Even a real word? Did he know how to speak properly…? _"That settles it!"_ Settles WHAT? _"I'm gonna become a mercenary!" _….What? _"Yeah, thanks Pops!"_ The old man said something indistinguishable again, yet Cloud had the feeling he'd agree with him on whatever he said about this guy's _(Zac…)_ decision.

"_Listen, I'm gonna become a mercenary and that's that."_ Well, he kind of sounded like a whiny kid when he did that. He reminded Cloud of someone he knew…Really well…Was his best friend…. _"Boring stuff, dangerous stuff, all for money. I'm gonna be rich!"_ Did he only care about money? Man, who was he travelling with? Why was he travelling in the first place? Where was he from? Why was he going to Midgar…?

"_So, Cloud. What are YOU gonna do?" _Wait, what? He wasn't taking him with him? Was he going to leave him alone, confused and unable to do anything? Like move? Or talk? Or see? Was he going to die on a street corner, abandoned by some yammer-mouth money-crazed guy? He heard vaguely the driver say something, and he tried to say something to the guy. _(Z…Zac…)_ He tried to tell him he didn't want to be alone…

"u…uhhh….." He could feel his head nodding, and it was really starting to hurt his neck. Couldn't someone stop it?

"_Just kidding…I won't leave you hanging like that."_ Oh thank Gaia. Wait, Gaia? Why did he immediately think Gaia…? _"We're friends, right?"_ Friends…? Friends….His best friend? Was this his best friend?

Z…Za…Zac…

He put his head on Cloud's shoulder, and black hair was thrust into his vision. Warm breath was on his neck. A weight and height he knew and recognized and missed…He felt so cold suddenly, next to this heater… _"Mercenaries, Cloud. That's what you an' me are gonna be." _He suddenly stood up, and Cloud wished he could tell him to come back. _"Understand, Cloud?"_ He didn't…He really didn't…

Za….c……..k……

Suddenly, the truck pulled to a stop. He felt himself lifted into warm arms again, pressed against an erratic heartbeat. He heard the guy say something the old man and jump out of the bed of the truck, running towards some place Cloud didn't know. Suddenly, he was placed against something hard and craggy, and knew he was on a cliff side. His eyes continued to stare ahead, unseeing, but his ears were trained on the guy. He felt him ruffle his hair, heard his laugh, and then watched as he walked away.

Lifting his head for the first time, he reached out blindly, watching the figure of the man he thought he knew as he disappeared into the light.

Later, he would scream out in agony for that same man.

…._Zack_…


	3. Laugh

A/N: That was quick. ._.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The sink was on and the bubbles from the dish soap were over spilling onto the counter. They had been so lucky when the guy who had originally owned the bar had given it to them for free once they had told him that they had need for it. He had claimed that he had been waiting for this day to come, handed the keys over to Barrett and left wishing them the best of luck while grinning.

Tifa had thought he had been nuts.

Life in the slums was horrible. The people were dirty and poor, complaining about the sewage that they got every half an hour from the plumbing and wishing that they could earn just enough money to get the hell out of there. Some people liked the slums for its misery and nitty-gritty feel, taking advantage of people's desperation. Markey Place was the best example of this, with Don Corneo and the whore house that Tifa had been offered to work at more than once. She blatantly refused every time.

Putting away the clean dishes as she dried them, she listened to the boys in the lower level talking about something or another; probably one of the plans. She knew that Barrett, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie (the only girl) were planning on freeing the Planet from ShinRa Power Company Inc.'s rule. The small electric power company had grown larger in size as the years went by until finally it was more like an empire than a company. Barrett had been one of the first to realize that the company was harming the Planet by sucking out its energy to create life for humans that much easier on Gaia. He had then started AVALANCHE.

Draining the sink, she wiped her hands on the cloth and started towards the upstairs, where the bedrooms were. She didn't need to be in the meeting this time as she wasn't on the mission. She scowled at that; Barrett never allowed her to go to the missions. He thought she was too emotionally attached.

You'd be emotionally attached too if ShinRa destroyed your home into a forest flames.

Sighing, she shook her head and pushed back dark brown hair, climbing the stairs and entering one room to see a little girl curled up sleeping peacefully. She smiled, pulling the blankets up around the girl's shoulders. Marlene was Barrett's adopted daughter, small and pale but just as determined and hard headed as her father. She helped around the bar a lot, giving Tifa a break once in a while and the fighter thought she was a Goddess sent.

Once making sure Marlene was comfortable and sleeping soundly, she left the room and closed the door gently, walking up another flight of stairs to the topmost level of the bar 7th Heaven. She opened the door and peeked in, looking worriedly at the sleeping occupant.

He looked worse for wear, skin pale and tinged green, clothes dirty and dusty. His feet had been bloody when she yanked his boots off, telling her how far he'd walked with a heavy burden—a large sword she recognized as the Buster sword, yet she didn't say anything about it.

She crept in, walking over to the man and pulling his blankets up, smoothing back blonde hair. He looked so young…Almost as if he were still sixteen when he was really twenty-one years old. How had he been preserved? She felt almost old next to him, and she was younger by a year. She shook her head after that thought, smiling gently at the sight of her childhood friend whom she hadn't seen in five years.

Life…It had been so hard on her. She'd lost her family, her friends and her home. She thought she'd never be able to smile again.

Yet staring into Cloud Strife's sleeping face, wondering what he was dreaming about, it made her smile.

And it gave her the hope to laugh again.


	4. Rise

A/N: This is a little rocky, since a couple songs helped inspire this one. Sorry if it doesn't make complete sense. I love it, though.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He never thought he'd get up again.

The rain hit his face as he stared at the sky, watching the clouds and supposedly the gods cry for the death of a hero. He felt sick at that thought. The death of a hero. A hero was dead.

Well, he wasn't quite dead. He felt like he could be dead, but he didn't think that death was this painful. And if he was dead, then why was he breathing? And why was the life stream in a state of rain showers? Really, you'd imagine vast flower fields and clouds and endless sun and sky when you think of the life stream. He always imagined that it would sort of be like being with the flower girl he loved as closely as he would love a sister.

Opening his eyes, he winced with the effort. Who knew that opening one's eyes actually took a lot of concentration and willpower? When at full strength, it just kind of happened. He never appreciated the little things his body did enough when he was still alive.

He looked over to see a head of blonde crawling towards him shakily, and he smiled a bit in spite of the situation. Good ol' Spiky…Finally he woke up at the most inopportune moment. Or maybe the most opportune. Zack wasn't exactly sure. He waited patiently until the blonde was next to him, watching him with lost, child's eyes and he spoke to him. He said the same things his mentor had once said to him, handing him the same sword that his mentor had once held with pride for his position, for his values and for his family.

He then closed his eyes, letting his mind drift for a little while.

It was a peaceful while after that; he rested, feeling the rain fluctuate for a bit before finally stopping. He only opened his eyes again, much easier than before, when he felt the warm sun on his face. Looking up, he saw a bright pink sky with clouds, the rays of light shining through like the face of the Goddess. He smiled, watching as a blot seemed to come down towards him, and slowly he reached his hand up, taking hold of the hand that reached down towards him.

As he rose into the sky, heading towards the life stream and to a peace he had never known, he vaguely remembered the words he had said after Angeal had passed on.

_Those wings…I want them too._


	5. Need

A/N: I like this one, even if it doesn't make the most sense in the world. To me, it gives me the sense that Cloud needed Aeris in those moments before he went to go find Sephiroth and fight him. So most likely he went back to her usual haunts and thought about her until he felt ready to leave. I also feel like it gives me the feeling that Aeris was the one who really gave the strength Cloud needed to get the job done in the end. So yeah. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

To see her was about as necessary as breathing in oxygen to live.

He couldn't help but go back to the places that she had once haunted in her life. To walk down the same slum streets as she did, to caress the same flower petals she cared and loved. To walk down the same holy pews that she did, day after day, thinking to her self and living in her own little slice of heaven while living in purgatory…It was almost a relief to do it all.

It made him believe that he could one day be forgiven for the things he did.

He crouched by the flowers, touching the yellow and white petals with careful fingers; pads calloused from fighting, hands riddled with little white scars and a larger scar from the one time he grabbed onto a blade and dragged himself deeper onto it. The petals were smooth as silk under his rough skin, much like her cheek had been when he had stroked it the one time he'd dare to, sitting in a carriage watching fireworks in an amusement park long since closed. He missed the soft sigh of her hair, the gentle kiss of her lashes when she blinked open her eyes, having fallen asleep on his shoulder with her nose buried in his neck. He missed the earthy smell she carried with her, the air that made her seemingly float as she walked, yet caused her to be so completely grounded.

He missed Aeris Gainsborough.

He sat on the hard, rotting wood of the church, the only structure in all of the slums that seemed to call out to people, to urge them to enter its sanctuary and feel at home, peaceful and loved. The church was the only place where someone could feel like they mattered in a hellhole like the Sector Five slums.

The silence around him grew, and he tilted his head back as he breathed in deeply, almost imaging soft hands at his neck, smoothing out his hair and whispering soft, non-verbal reassurances that everything would be fine. He would defeat her murderer. He would save the world. Everything would be at peace again, and no one would have to die needlessly anymore for a power-hungry company and its mad scientists.

No one would have to die to protect him anymore.

He opened his eyes, watching as a transparent image of a young girl with long brown hair in pink smiled and waved for him to follow her to the entrance of the church, knowing that it was time for him to leave.

Reaching up, he took the faded hand of Aeris, pulling himself up with a strength only she managed to give him.

He needed to go save the world.


	6. Learn

A/N: I thought that this prompt was a good one for Yuffie, so I hope you enjoy this one. ^^

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Settings belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She fell back as her opponent hit her stomach, her breath escaping her quickly. She fell back, wincing as she landed harshly on the practice mat. For a moment she lay on her back, regaining her breath, before she jumped up to her feet again and fell into one of her stances, facing her opponent. He was taller than her, much taller than her, and also more skilled than her, as he was older. She scowled, shifting her feet before with a war cry she ran at him, feinting to the right before aiming a kick to his left side.

His arm blocked her leg, his other hand grabbing her ankle and twisting it so that she was spun and then dropped unceremoniously to the floor. She cried out then, sitting up and pounding her fists onto the mat. She was suddenly cuffed over the head and she glared up at her instructor, narrow brown eyes narrowed more.

"Princess, if you want to be a proper ninja and bring honour to your village and your Lord Father, then you must be prepared to train."

"But I _have_ been training, Sensei!" Yuffie said, standing up and crossing her arms, pouting. Her instructor sighed then, shaking his head and allowing himself an indulgent smile. She was such a child, but that was a good thing in his mind. She was only eight after all.

"Princess, you are not just training your fighting abilities, though that does need some finer tuning. We are also developing control and patience."

"I don't see why I need to know any of that. I mean, if I can beat them up, why don't I just beat them up? Isn't that what my training and everything is actually for? So that I can beat up my enemies?"

"No, Princess, that is not the sole reason for your training." Yuffie looked at her sensei curiously and he smiled indulgently. "It's also for you to just learn to become an honourable member of the Kisuragi Clan."

"…I hate learning."

Her sensei laughed, and then lessons started again.


	7. Touch

A/N: I thought this prompt was very suitable for Barret after he had lost the use of his right arm after trying to save Dyne and loosing his life basically. So yes.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Sitting in a chair in a hotel room, the large dark-skinned man stared at the thing that was on his right arm. Turning it this way and that, he narrowed his dark eyes at it, a scowl starting to mar his face.

Barret Wallace leaned back in the chair heavily, feeling a heavy realization rest on his broad shoulders. It had been almost two months since things had gone horribly wrong in his life. His family, killed. His best friend's family except for his daughter, slaughtered. His best friend, dead because of him. Why couldn't he have grabbed him with his other arm? Why had things gone so horribly wrong? Why were the gods angry at him?

He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He had come to the city of Midgar, a bloody mess with a useless hand and a shattered view on life. The city itself had been a shock to his lungs and body. The intense heat, the heavy smog and the pollution choked at him, suffocating and squeezing the air out of his throat. The mines had been bad, yes, but the air in Midgar was ten times worse. At least at home there was a semblance of fresh air. He had gone down to the slums, the only place for a person with no money to live, and he had found a doctor who was also a mechanic just trying to make a living.

Out of a curious generosity and a hope that maybe if this worked that the black man would be able to avenge his family, his village and maybe even the world of ShinRa's tyrannical rule, the doctor had grafted a metal gun to the man's arm, healing him and giving him a limb. When Barret had woken, he had been alone in a hotel room rented for a week, where he had been able to recuperate. Once the week had been up, he had left in search of a job, a place to stay, and something to do with his life.

Yet when he had tried to speak to the people of the slums, they took a look at the gun grafted to his arm and ran, practically screaming.

He realized then that he was a monster.

At first he hadn't let that deter him, and had found a job at Market Place luring people into the weapons shop to buy weapons and tools as they passed through. He stayed with the man who designed the weapons, the same man who had given him his arm and saved his life, paying him rent and working for him day in and day out. Then one day a swarm of new faces came into the lower slums, fine looking people who were crying or yelling and shaking their fists at the plate above their heads about the 'horrible', 'foul' and 'gluttonous' ShinRa Power Company. For the first time in two months, Barret had listened to the news and learned that the company that had ruined his life was thriving. Thriving and stealing energy from the Planet like it had been doing before. He had thrown the gun he'd been working on the side, jumping as it shot off before he left, stomping through the street and glaring at anyone who stared at the grafted gun-arm. After walking through the streets he found a bar where he ordered a strong drink, downed it and ordered another, seething in his anger at the company he lived beneath.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the roof of the hotel. He vaguely recalled leaving the bar and renting out a hotel room for five days, which was where he sat now. Looking back down at the metal grafting he had on his arm, he narrowed his eyes and hated it. He hated that he had lost his hand trying to save his best friend. He hated that he couldn't even hold the little girl he had adopted, the daughter of his best friend and the only family he had now. He hated the company that had caused him to loose his hand, to loose his family, friends and his life.

He hated the company that cost him his ability to touch.


	8. Give

A/N: I made the prompt 'Give' to Aerith since she is a very kind and giving person. I also think that this could have very well happened in the game-verse. I don't see why not unless you can give me a very logical explanation.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Only five gil for a lily! Ten for a daisy and fifteen for a rose!"

She watched as the young couple shook their heads with fake apologetic smiles, continuing past the young woman with her flower cart. She pouted, placing her hand on her hip and watching them as they went to a flower shop where fancy arrangements were sold. Those flowers were ridiculously overpriced! Even though they were arranged in nice, pretty arrangements that didn't stop them from jacking up the price for the flowers just to make some gil. Shaking her head sadly, the young woman looked around with bright emerald eyes, trying to find a potential customer.

She was a simple woman, wearing a pink dress that stopped short of her ankles with working boots and a simple darker pink short sleeved jacket. It really didn't do much against the cold, but she had enjoyed the feel of it on her skin when she had tried it on in the shop that she had _had_ to buy it. Her brown hair was long and tied back into a twist, with a pink ribbon near the base—a gift from a very dear friend of hers. She had him to thank for her beautiful flower cart where she was able to do her business.

"Hello sir! Would you like to buy a flower for your daughter? Only five gil for a lily! No other place can beat prices like that, sir!"

"Oh, Daddy, Daddy! Can I have one?"

The man seemed to think about it before he shook his head, truly looking apologetic. "I'm sorry. We need the money we have to buy our groceries. Maybe next time, miss."

"Thank you," Aerith called, watching them walk away and smiling sympathetically with the pouting little girl. She then looked back around her centre of operation.

She was situated near the park of Sector Six; a simple place where children, young couples and elderly couples often travelled. They would often smile at the flower girl trying to sell her wares, curious as to how they—and she herself—had grown in a dismal place like the slums.

It was as she was looking around for another couple or parent with their child when she noticed her.

She didn't really stand out, sitting on the ground sniffing sadly. Her hair was short and brown, her eyes wide the colour of chocolate. She wore a simple pink dress with a yellow bowtie, though at the moment the dress was covered in dirt since she was sitting. There were tear tracks on her cheeks, and she seemed to be holding back the urge to start really crying. Abandoning her post at her cart, Aerith walked over to her in concern, eyes worried.

She knelt by the girl once she was beside her, waiting a moment before touching her shoulder softly. The girl jumped, looking up at the young woman with wide watery eyes, before sniffing and starting to rub her eyes. "I'm sorry miss…I don't want to bother you. Was I being loud?"

Aerith sighed, knowing that this was the usual response children had in the slums. Adults would give them dirty looks if they were loud, which made Aerith sad. Children were supposed to be loud. They were only innocents.

"No sweetheart, I was just concerned about you. Why are you crying?"

"Uhm..?" She looked at Aerith with some suspicion before deciding that she was alright, shrugging and hugging her knees. Aerith sat down properly next to her, wrapping her arms around her comfortingly. "Well…I'm sad because my daddy's always away…"

"Oh? Is it his job?"

"Kinda…" Marlene shrugged, looking at her brown shoes. "I can't say nuthin', though ma'am. Sorry."

"Well that's alright," Aerith said with a smile. The girl looked at her before smiling a little weakly. "What's your name?"

"Uhm…" she paused again, thinking before deciding that this lady was nice enough to trust with her name. The fact children couldn't even be sure if they could tell people their name was sad. "I'm Marlene."

"My name's Aerith," she smiled, before standing up. "And I have something that should cheer you right up." She wiped her backside clear of dirt before trotting over to her cart and rifling through her flowers. She carefully looted through them until she came across the biggest daisy in her garden, smiling and walking over to Marlene with the flower behind her back. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands. I promise it won't be any kind of bad surprise."

Marlene looked unsure before she nodded, closing her eyes and holding out grubby little hands. Aerith smiled, before placing the stem of the flower very carefully in Marlene's hands. The girl's eyes shot open and she stared in open mouth shock at the prettiest flower she had ever seen.

"I can't take this! I have no gil to give you!"

"It's a gift, silly. A present. I want you to have it since it reminds me of you." Aerith crouched down in front of her, hands on her knees. "Though I would like a real big smile from you, if you can."

Marlene stared at the flower for a moment, before she smiled widely; showing that one of her front teeth was missing. Aerith smiled brightly in return.

She was glad she could give a little girl something to be happy about.


	9. Watch

A/N: I thought the prompt 'Watch' would be very appropriate for Angeal, as he does watch over Zack as he trains and as he goes through difficult times. He's the ever watchful guardian to Zack, so I thought it would be nice to see how that started. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Final Fantazy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He stood with his hands folded behind his back, feet spread shoulder width apart as the new recruits started their training. His eyes, dark blue and serious, immediately locked onto a springy boy from the small village Gongaga. He was paired off with a native of ShinRa—a boy twice his size and probably three times his weight. Angeal Hewley raised his eyebrow at the unlikely odds of the country boy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as the sergeant in charge yelled for everyone to get into position before blowing a shrill whistle with the aid of two fingers.

The larger boy lunged at the small country boy, intent on grabbing him and throwing him down onto the practice mat with his bulk alone. The country boy, however, seemed to be fast on his feet. As his opponent lunged at him with a comical gruntish battle-cry, he ducked and slipped past his unprotected side, shoving his elbow into a tender spot by the ribs before turning on the spot and ducking down, sweeping the larger boy's feet from under him. Angeal raised both eyebrows at the display; a clear sign he was impressed. What impressed him even more however was how the country boy grinned and helped his opponent to his feet, talking to him in what seemed to be a friendly manner.

The SOLDIER's arms moved to cross in front of his chest, one hand resting on his chin in thought. He continued to watch the pair throughout the training hour, once in a while looking at the others to see how they were doing. Once the sergeant called that it was the end of the lesson, Angeal moved from his stationary post to walk towards the country boy.

He was by the water fountain, filling a bottle of water and talking to another boy from ShinRa who was tall and thin with a ferret-like face. The two recruits fell silent as Angeal approached, moving to stand in attention as he stopped in front of them. Both looked nervous, though the country boy seemed curious at the same time. After all, why would a SOLDIER talk to a lowly recruit?

"At ease," he said gently then, his deep voice a slight comfort to the boys. They shifted into more relaxed positions, the country boy capping his water bottle. Angeal took a moment to take in what he looked like: black hair that fell into his face, a mouth made for wide grins and wide, innocent eyes the lightest violet he'd ever seen. Once he reached SOLDIER and got the mako injections, that violet would turn into a light electric blue, much like Angeal's had when he had first gotten the injections. Perhaps after years of injections they would return to their original violet.

"I would like to talk to this recruit here," Angeal said then, indicating to the country boy. The recruit looked at him with wide eyes, mouth falling open slightly. His friend nodded and, after a quick word to the recruit and a salute to Angeal, left to go talk to some of the other cadets. Angeal watched him leave for a moment before turning to look at the remaining recruit. "What's your name, recruit?"

"Zack Fair, sir," his replied immediately as he was trained to do, his voice a nervous squeak. Angeal could hear a slight crack in his voice, showing the depth of his nerves.

"Alright, Zack Fair. You've got a good stance and you know how to use your opponent to your advantage. Some of your executions however are sloppy. You'll need to fix those if you wish to join SOLDIER." Fair's eyes widened as Angeal spoke, before he nodded quickly. "If you would like, I can help you improve."

"Sir…?"

"It's common for SOLDIERs to take an interest in certain potential SOLDIERs and train them. We know how hard the program is and so we try to prepare future candidates for that. It's not a show of favourtism, if that's what you're worried about; your friends will find SOLDIERs to represent them as the weeks go by. It is only your first day of training, so it _is_ unusual for a SOLDIER to take a candidate. However, I decided to come see what the recruits were like so that if I saw any potentials, I could get the best one first." He smiled a little then as Fair flushed at the subtle compliment. "Now, you don't have to accept my aid. If you wish to have another SOLDIER help you, that's your choice."

"No! That's okay!" Fair said, waving his hands in front of him in a show of, 'I don't mind, I don't mind'. He then grinned and saluted Angeal, his eyes alighting with happiness. "It would be my honour if you became my mentor, sir!"

Angeal smiled then and nodded, indicating that he was dismissed. Zack saluted him again before he ran off to his friends, talking excitedly to them. Angeal turned to watch him, being vaguely reminded of a puppy.

It would be interesting to watch him grow into a SOLDIER. He sensed that Zack Fair would change ShinRa and SOLDIER as they all knew it.


	10. Pray

A/N: Okay, yeah, that was quick. I guess I'm in a writing mood, which is a miracle within itself. Haha. Anyhow, I decided to choose Aeris (not Aerith, meaning that this is my game-verse version of the flower girl. Aerith is my Movie/AU/Made-up situations version of the girl) for the prompt of 'Pray' for obvious reasons. I thought it would be interesting to see what it was like for Aeris within some of her last moments on the Planet, as well as to show who I think she was praying to in those last moments. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

She walked into the shell-shaped structure with a calm mind and a serene smile. This was the home of her people; the Forgotten City of the Ancients. The voices of the Lifestream swept through her as she walked, whispering to her in ancient voices, ghostly hands caressing her skin as she made her way to the prayer platform. She knew, just knew, that her friends would be coming for her shortly, yet she hoped that they would take a little while so that she could ask the Planet to help in protecting itself and its people from the threat of the madman Sephiroth.

Walking through the maze with an ease she didn't fully comprehend, she looked at the coral décor and the sense of peace that washed over her like gentle waves in the ocean. The Forgotten City was a beautiful place, a place she wished that people could come visit and admire as she was able to now. She knew, of course, that if outsiders came to the Ancient's city that it would not hold the same feeling of serenity; it would be a tourist attraction, something to go to in the summer with the kids and take pictures and souvenirs. It would be destroyed because people would want to enjoy it in a greedy way, instead of a simple way such as enjoying the sights and the feelings it created within the soul.

It made Aeris said, really.

Walking up a set of stairs towards a circular platform, Aeris Gainsborough knelt in place and bowed her head, hands clasped loosely in front of her. She was silent for a few minutes before blinking slowly, raising an eyebrow. This was odd. All she could hear were the gentle whisperings of the Ancients who still lingered in the halls of their city. Where was the all-powerful voice of Gaia; of Minerva, Goddess of the Planet and of its people?

She pouted, sitting down on the ground and crossing her arms in thought, tongue sticking out to create an innocent picture of a child thinking. (She was anything but a child, yet that didn't stop her from acting like one once in a while.) She tugged on the pink ribbon a SOLDIER had given her years ago before she felt a soft lump through the ribbon. Raising her eyebrows with a look of slow recognition, she touched the lump and suddenly the voices of the Ancients fell silent to the soft, patient breathing of something much larger.

Ah, so that little hunk of stone _did_ have a purpose.

Smiling, Aeris got back onto her knees and clasped her hands in front of her, focusing her attention not on the air around her as she usually would while praying, but instead on the piece of White Materia in her hair ribbon. The breathing she'd heard before paused, before a gentle yet loud melodic voice spoke from the depths of the Lifestream.

"Child of the Ancients, what is it you wish to ask of me?"

Taking in a deep breath, Aeris squared her shoulders and prayed for the Planet to be saved.


	11. Care

A/N: I thought that the 'Care' prompt was fitting for Elmyra Gainsborough, the woman who raised Aeris after her real mother passed away. She was a very caring character who I remember as being protective of Aeris. This shows the caring and bond she held with someone she wasn't even related to.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix. Martin belongs to me.

* * *

Once again, as she did every day for the past 10 days, Elmyra Gainsborough stood on the platform of the Sector Six train station. She stood waiting for her husband, a kind and gentle man who had been drafted into ShinRa's military just a few months ago to fight in the war against Wutai. Light brown hair pulled back into a neat bun, green dress smoothed into perfection, Elmyra awaited patiently for the 10 o'clock train that was supposed to carry her husband home, now that he had been released from duty.

She had gotten the letter two weeks ago telling her that Martin—her husband—was able to finally come home after months of endless fighting and no contact. She had been preparing for his arrival since; buying his favourite foods, cleaning up the house, buying bundles of fake flowers so that the house looked comfortable and inviting to a tired war veteran.

Her hands tightened as she watched the 10 o'clock train pull in, his looking to the door and mouth set in an apprehensive line. The train came to a stop, the guards looked through the train quickly before nodding, and then the doors opened. Elmyra's breath caught in her throat as she watched soldiers walk out with bandages and crutches, green eyes looking around frantically for Martin. The last of the passengers came off then and she sighed, her shoulders dropping in dismay. A guard that had noticed her presence every day walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He's probably just a bit delayed ma'am. You can come back tomorrow."

Elmyra looked up at him before smiling weakly, nodding. "Yes…"

Yet the next day he wasn't there, nor was he there the day after that. It had been 12 days since the promised return date—16 since the letter had come to her.

Putting on her green dress again (she washed it every night, knowing it was Martin's favourite), Elmyra tied her hair back, made up the bed and walked to the train station once again on the 13th day. Perhaps 13 would be their lucky number.

She walked down the now familiar path to the station, seeing the usual people about doing their daily chores. She was a known face around this part of the slums by now, seeing as she had been coming at the same time every day for the past thirteen days. It felt like just an ordinary day where she'd be waiting for her Martin.

Yet it wasn't ordinary.

Elmyra's eyes widened at the sight she saw on the train station steps, before she broke into a run and dropped beside a collapsed woman with a young girl by her side. The young girl was remarkably calm yet was crying, holding what seemed to be her mother's hand as the woman stared up into the sky. The guards on duty looked unsure of themselves, whether they should help or stay at their posts. Elmyra hesitantly touched the woman's arm then and the woman's sharp green eyes snapped over to her. She could tell that this woman was dying.

"Please…take care of Aeris…"

Elmyra's eyes widened as the little girl—Aeris, her name was Aeris—ran over to her and clung to her arm. The woman on the stair then passed out, and Elmyra knew she was gone.

Pulling her hand back, she turned to look at Aeris who sat there, holding her arm and crying, yet still calm. Elmyra pursed her lips together before she wrapped her arms around her, holding her comfortingly.

She would take care of this girl till the day she died.


	12. Find

A/N: The prompt 'Find' could've been used for either Denzel or Cloud, as they did find each other. I wanted to focus on Denzel, though. Cute little boy, all alone in the world with no where to go. He finds this bike and subsequently finds a home within the owner of said bike. No, the scene doesn't go exactly like in the movie, as he tries to call his parents and has an attack in that one. I like this version, though. It's quieter, and shows Denzel's thoughts on being found by this quiet young man-child. (And I see Cloud as being half grown and half stuck in his teenage years. He didn't get to grow up properly.)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He stumbled through the rubble of Sector Seven, a lead pipe in his hand dragging across the hard dirt ground. Broken pipes, rusted metal and heaps upon mounds of metal scraps surrounded him. He looked around with dead eyes, his mouth a tired, grim line; he had seen far worse as of late.

Slowly, he made his way out of Sector Seven into Sector Six, looking to be in about the same state as all the other sectors of the slums of Midgar. His mouth twisted then as he felt tears well up in his eyes; Midgar was a dead city. Everyone who had refused to leave was sick, injured, dying or dead. His parents had been missing since the fall of Sector Seven. He was alone and sick. The black ichor that had started to spread like ink spilled on paper was dark and sticky on his forehead, constantly trickling at least a little bit of thick ooze, showing that he was as sick as the rest of them.

He sighed a little, bumping his lead pipe against a few bits of rubble and piping, watching them it with a dull interest in dead blue eyes. He looked up once in a while to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything harmful, like monsters or a gang of some sort trying to make a living. So far, all it had been was empty space, just rubble and corpses to keep him company.

After a long time of walking, Denzel stopped and looked up again to try and gather his bearings. Right in front of him was a large structure still standing as if everything was fine with the world and nothing had gone awry recently. It was a church, of all things. _So maybe there is a God._ He thought, frowning a bit as he walked towards it curiously. As he got closer to the structure, he noticed something else that was strange: a shiny black motorcycle.

His eyes widened as somewhere deep inside of him, the curiousity of the little ten year old he actually was piqued. He ran towards the motorcycle, stopping just a foot from it to stare at his reflection in the shiny black metal.

Dropping his pipe, Denzel slowly raised his hand and ran grubby fingers along the motorbike, making sure not to actually touch it in case he got it dirty. He looked around to make sure no one was around, before he started to walk around the machine, staring at the engine and all the funny little gears.

"Hey,"

Denzel froze up at the sound of a deep, male voice, eyes wide in terror. He looked over his shoulder to see a tall man standing there with blonde hair and blue eyes that had an odd green shine to them. The man seemed…sad. Lonely.

Like him.

"What're you doing here, kid?" The man asked then, walking over to him. He had a large sword on his back that Denzel's eyes fixed on in fascination. The man seemed to notice his fixation and looked back at the sword himself. "Ah, that's just to protect me from monsters." He shrugged as if he could care less, before stopping in front of Denzel, kneeling in front of him. "You lost or something?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

He shook his head.

"…Do you know if they're…?"

Again, he shook his head. He heard the man mutter a curse and he scratched his forehead in habit, wincing as his nails scraped across the stigma. He whimpered softly, face scrunching up.

"What's wrong?" Denzel pulled his hand away, showing the man the black ooze from his illness. Another oath was muttered and the man sighed, flipping open a cell phone he kept on his person. He held a hand up for Denzel to be quiet for a moment, looking out into the distance as he listened to the other line. "Hey," he said then suddenly as the other person picked up. "I found a kid by the church. He's sick and hasn't got any parents. Looks like some of the orphaned kids in Edge." He paused, nodding quietly. "That's what I was thinking. Alright, I'll bring him over. Thanks Tifa." He hung up then and looked at Denzel. "Alright, you're going to come with me, okay? I'm going to bring you to live with a friend of mine. Her name's Tifa." He paused, looking unsure. "Are you crying?"

Denzel shook his head even as he wiped his eyes with the back of his dirty hand. He wasn't crying. Not because he was sad, anyhow.

He was crying because he was finally found.


	13. Wait

A/N: Call me a loony if Sephiroth does _not_ fit the prompt for 'Wait'. Really, what else was he doing while waiting for all those Reunions to happen so he could be resurrected and once again attempt to take over the Planet? Did you think he was learning the polka or something??  
And yeah. This is actually kind of humourous. But Sephiroth is _always_ seen as this serious guy who only pretty much has one thing on his mind. With all that time waiting to come back, I think he probably had to do something to entertain himself. And for all we know, Sephiroth is a true comedian. And I just enjoyed writing him in this light, since all my others ones (except for maybe 'Learn') was turning into be sad and kind of bittersweet. I need something to lift the mood, hahah.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

It was maddening, waiting.

Of course, he understood why he had to wait this long. After all, there was the Reunion to consider and everything.

But still, you'd think that they would try to quicken the Reunion so that he could finally _leave_ this little corner of hell that he was pretty much damned to live in until he was resurrected…again.

Sighing, the Great General Sephiroth (also known as the Monster, the Destroyer and all-around evil force of one Cloud Strife) shifted in his seat and leaned back, looking around at the green swirls that moved around him. He was pretty sure that he lived in the Lifestream, but he had yet to have any proof of that. He _did_ hear Mother once in a while, but only bits of her. She was always whispering about the Reunion and the vengeance that they would bestow on those who had destroyed their plans last time. Well, her plans anyway. Sephiroth didn't really _have_ any actual plans. He just went along with Mother.

A seemingly spineless thing to do, but when your mother was called the Calamity you didn't argue against her. It was just not the thing to do.

He shifted again, brushing back elegant strands of silver hair from his pale face. He paused momentarily in the action of moving his hair from in front of his eye, wondering why he had grown it so long. After all, it was kind of in the way all the time. And it wasn't like it served any real purpose other than making him look dramatic when he flew through the air and walked through fire and appeared out of nowhere. Really, all it _actually_ did was get tangled and caught on door jams and people could always catch it in their grip and drag him back when he was turning for a cool looking (and unobvious) retreat.

Taking a moment to think on this, the general just shrugged and continued with moving his hair. It was starting to tickle his nose.

Why _did_ he have to be resurrected anyhow? He didn't really see the point in trying to take over the planet so that they could 'ride the cosmos for a new and better world'. Yeah, it seemed to have its good points, but then there was the whole, 'destroying a whole population just to get said vessel' thing. Yes, they were all traitors who took the land from the Ancients and abused it and almost killed it, he understood that that was just a bad thing. Yet…if they destroyed the entire population and found a new, uninhabited planet, what would populate it other than Mother and himself?

And who was he supposed to produce children with? After all, he couldn't very well live forever (no matter how many times he got resurrected. If he stayed resurrected, he was _bound_ to get old and die one day like any other normal person. Sure, he was special, but he could still _age_ couldn't he?).

He took a moment to think on that…

…and promptly looked disgusted. Oh, he'd have to keep at least one woman alive. He was not procreating with his _Mother_, no matter how devoted he was to her.

Sephiroth then crossed his arms in a brief moment of a fit, glaring out at the green swirls around him. He really wished that the Reunion would happen already.

He _really_ hated waiting.


	14. Teach

A/N: I thought the prompt 'Teach' was a good one for Hojo, of all people. The drabble itself is mostly from young Sephiroth's point of view, but he's thinking about all the things he learned from Hojo's unconscious 'teaching' methods. Originally I wasn't going to write it like this, but I rather like how it turned out. =)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Now remember, Sephiroth, you are very special. You are going to be the greatest SOLDIER that ShinRa has ever had."

The young eight-year-old followed the hunch-backed scientist with a sombre walk, his face a calm sort of curious. He had long silver hair pulled back into a braid, thanks to one of the female scientists and her sentimentalities around children. His green eyes were wide yet they were serious as well; they held none of the excitable child-like curiousity other eight year olds had in their eyes.

The scientist he followed was a pale man of obvious Wutai descent. His dark hair was greasy and slicked back into a horsetail, his dark eyes narrowed and greedy behind rounded spectacles. He wore the white lab coat that all scientists were required to wear, his suit underneath it wrinkled and in some places stained. He had spider-like hands and long legs, and to the young Sephiroth he resembled a sort of under-the-bed monster. Yet he was also the only man who looked at him as if he were something precious and not something frightening. He may not have liked being around the man too much, but he was someone he could somewhat appreciate…even if Dr. Hojo did touch his hair too much.

"You have to remember that you are not like the others at all. You are above them—above us all. You are perfect, beyond human. We have made it so. All the other SOLDIERs you will train with are imperfect with emotions to impair their thought. You have no such worries."

Sephiroth nodded quietly, walking behind him at a respectable distance. Dr. Hojo like his space, even with his precious Sephiroth. He didn't like getting into the man's space because usually bad things happened afterwards. Bad things that involved needles and tests and experiments. Sephiroth unconsciously shivered.

"Cold, my dear boy?"

Sephiroth looked up at Dr. Hojo, shaking his head quickly. He'd also learned very quickly from this man that if he ever complained of a stuffy nose or a chill or a cough, that earned him a quick trip to the lab and a series of questions and medical procedures. He had learned very quickly that he didn't like going into the lab for any reason at all, even when it was completely necessary.

Dr. Hojo was a very good teacher in that sense.


	15. Return

A/N: Is it just me, or are these getting shorter?

Anyhow. The prompt 'Return' I thought would be nice for Cloud and Denzel again. I see Denzel and Cloud's relationship to be a slightly rocky one. Denzel doesn't really believe that Cloud will stay and remember him, so he always has to wait for Cloud to come back home. Cloud never expects anyone to be waiting for his return, so he's always surprised to see Denzel there. I think their's is a very timid father-son type of relationship that can and will grow stronger as the two get used to each other. That and I love writing these two. =)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He sat on the front steps of the bar Seventh Heaven, chin resting in his palms as he looked out at the crowded street. He was waiting once again, as he did every day since the day he had first come to Seventh Heaven.

He watched with curious blue eyes, sight slightly obscured by curly brown hair, as people walked back and forth from point A to point B. There were couples walking with their hands interlinked, talking to each other about some plans they had for that night; there were a few kids running around playing some sort of game, glancing at Denzel and wondering if they should invite him to play. Whenever they looked over at him, he just smiled a little and shook his head; he was waiting.

Suddenly, he heard a motorcycle on the road and looked up excitedly to see the dark, shiny black vehicle that had first attracted him weeks ago. The rider stopped in front of the bar and got off, taking off goggles and locking the bike, setting the alarm in case someone tried to take it. He turned hen, wiping back spiky blonde hair, and caught sight of Denzel sitting there, looking at him with wide, bright eyes. "…Hey, Denzel," Cloud Strife greeted then, walking over and ruffling up his hair. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting."

Cloud paused, looking at Denzel with surprise, before a half-smile came to his face and he nodded, opening the door for Denzel. "I see," he mumbled quietly as they boy walked in. Denzel looked back at Cloud as he walked into the bar, closing the door. "And what were you waiting for?"

"For you to come home." Cloud smiled just the tiniest bit then, though it was a full-fledged smile all the same.

Denzel always waited for him to return, after all.


	16. Breathe

/N: So, this is my version of how Cloud has been able to survive multiple stab wounds to the chest/heart/lungs area. xD THE GODDESS! Genesis is totally jealous, don't ya know. Anyhow, so I thought 'Breathe was a good one for Cloud and the Goddess; Cloud because he does struggle to breathe a lot throughout all the stuff he goes through and the Goddess because she gives life, therefore breath. See? SEE? Anyhow. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He felt the blood bubble up his throat and slowly dribble down his pale chin, his eyesight going fuzzy. He could hear a deep voice talking to him, yet he wouldn't quite make out the words. His vision was edged with black, and he knew—just _knew—_that this was the end.

He was lying down on something could and hard—probably the floor. He had stumbled out of the room with the creep alien after throwing Sephiroth to the wall, tripping over his own feet and falling; he must've been on the stairs, then. His eyes saw nothing but blurry outlines, and he could only hear fuzzy words wash over him. The black was growing thicker as he laid there; he was probably still bleeding really badly from that chest wound.

He coughed as his heart stuttered, and he shut his eyes tightly, trying to force down the sudden surge of pain that rushed through him. Gaia, why wasn't he dead yet? He just wanted this pain and this uncertainty to end already…he wanted to be with his mother and…with Tifa…because surely she hadn't made it…that gash had looked really bad…

Suddenly, he felt pleasant warmth surround him, and he opened his eyes to see the most beautiful woman he had ever gotten the chance to see. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes that held gentleness that reminded him strongly of his mother. She touched his cheek then, smiling softly to him.

…_Cloud Strife._

He started at his name, coughing again and feeling more blood come out of his mouth, covering his chin. He rattled a deep breath, coughing harsher than before.

_Do not speak, my Chosen One. _She said in her mystical voice. It sounded like church bells and the clashing of swords in battle. _This is only the first of your tests…There is so much more for you to do. _

He looked at her uncertainly, blinking a few times to see if she would disappear. All that happened was that she sharpened in focus. Suddenly she bent down and pressed her lips to his forehead. Cloud gurgled a cry of pain as what felt like one thousand needles went through his skin, scorching through him; he could feel heat cling to everything in his body, running through his veins, wrapping around his lungs, stomach, and heart while it weaved through his blood and throat.

_I will watch over you as you go through your trials, my Chosen One. _She said then, laying gentle fingers against his throat. He felt the blood that had been coming up from his chest wound suddenly evaporate, and his eyes started to droop closed as the Goddess smiled at him serenely.

_Now breathe._


	17. Hold

A/N: Yes, it's sad. But I thought that Cloud and Aeris fit for the prompt 'Hold'. I hope you enjoy. =)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The water was cool as he walked through it.

He didn't seem to notice anything else except for the water around him and the weight in his arms. A weight he never thought in a million years that he would have to carry. Who knew that life would turn out like this? Who knew that this would happen to him, that this hell would come to him? He surely never did anything to deserve this, did he? After all, had he not already lost everything? Why now this? Why would Gaia, or the Goddess, or whatever it was that controlled lives throw this at him?

He stopped when the water reach his waist, standing there and staring at the angelic face. Her head craned back with dead weight, her legs hanging loosely off his arm, arms hanging with no life in them. The wound in his stomach had stopped bleeding, leaving only a bloody spot to stain the beautiful pink of her dress. Her face was pale white, like snow.

Aeris Gainsborough was dead. And Cloud Strife had failed to save her.

He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, yet he ignored them as he slowly started to lower the dead Cetra into the water. His grip on her was tight, gripping onto her as if hoping that if he held onto her long enough and hard enough, she would come back and tease him for his silly behaviour.

Cloud knew better than that.

Slowly, with all his mental ability, Cloud started to loosen his grip.

It was so hard to let go, as even though he knew it was pointless to keep a grip on her…

Cloud wanted to hold on.


	18. Save

A/N: Whoa this is short! Anyhow, I thought Zack was the appropriate one for 'Save'. Zack's always wanted to be a hero, saving people and innocents, right? And in a way, he saved Cloud in a lot of ways. I'm glad Square has a character like Zack. He's so loveable and awesome, but I'm also glad that they made his story a tragic one. After all, not all heroes last, right? Sometimes, that's what makes them a hero in the end.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He shifted his weight between his feet, placing his hands on his hips and looking at the hundreds of infantry grunts pointing their guns at him. He smiled a little, shaking his head and giving an exasperated sigh. All this, on just the two of them? He noted with quick blue eyes the helicopter in the back, and wondered vaguely if that was Reno flying before he turned back to his immediate problem.

"Boy oh boy," he said, smiling a little sardonically. "The price of freedom is steep."

Slowly, he reached behind him for the large blade that had been bestowed upon him by his mentor and friend—a sword he would soon bestow on he who Zack Fair mentored…and became friends with. He smiled a little as he thought of the semi-comatose blonde behind the rocks he was, at the moment, protecting from harm. Yes. He closed his eyes as he positioned the Buster sword in front of him, resting his forehead on the cool steel. He was finally being a hero.

"Follow your dreams, and…whatever happens…protect your honour…as SOLDIER!" His eyes snapped open and he brought the blade back as he started to run towards the hordes of enemies in front of him, wondering and not caring if he had once trained them himself. They were the enemy now.

It was about time that Zack repaid Cloud for that time in Modeoheim. His eyes became determined as he prepared a battle cry. Yeah. This time…Zack would save Cloud.

"Come and get it!"


	19. Taste

A/N: So, I had to deliberate quite a bit when it came to this prompt, because the prompt for 'Taste' can be taken in a lot of contexts. Not all sexual, either. So I needed to think of who would best suit this prompt, and what way I was using the word. I finally decided on the very simple, obvious use of the word coupled with Shera and Cid Highwind. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The door slammed open suddenly, making a young woman jump from her spot in the kitchen with a squeak. The woman quickly straightened her attire, brushing back some brown locks that had escaped the prison that was her hair tie. She collected the tea pot and cups from the kitchen counter, where she had been mixing the specific brew that the man clomping through the back door did enjoy after a long day of working on the mechanics of his plane, the Tiny Bronco. She managed to place the tea pot and cups on the table before the gruff man collapsed into his chair, groaning.

"Hello Cid, I made your tea for the evening. Supper should be finished shortly, as well."

"Hn," the pilot grumbled, taking out a cigarette and lighting it without even glancing at the quiet woman. She bit her lip, before sighing gently to herself and made her way towards the cooking section of the kitchen. "What'chu sighin' for, Shera?" he asked then, glancing at her sharply with blue eyes, blond five o'clock shadow on his chin and cheeks. Shera squeaked again when suddenly spoken to, spinning around to look at him in shock.

"E-eh…?"

"Stop jumpin' 'round for Gaia's sake, woman! I ain't gonna attack ya or anythin'!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She quickly apologized, looking at him with wide eyes. He stared at her for another moment before sighing, turning away and taking a drag from his cigarette. She frowned a little as she turned away from him, wishing he wouldn't smoke inside.

Meanwhile, Cid Highwind watched as the woman who had caused his flight to outer space to fail went into the kitchen to make the supper she had promised; he could smell it from the time he had walked into the house. Putting out his cigarette in the ash tray that was specifically placed at the table for him, Cid poured some tea for himself, swishing it around in the cup before he took a sip of it. Letting the hot liquid run down his throat, he sighed, relaxing against his chair.

Well, if there was one thing Shera was good at, it was making a fine tasting tea.

Though he'd never tell her that.


	20. Start

A/N: All right, so it's been a while since I've last uploaded anything for this drabble set! Anyhow, I thought 'Start' would be good for Tifa thinking about her sudden development of feelings for Cloud. I don't know, I find Tifa to be one of the more shallow, almost dependent characters in the series. Maybe this is my intense dislike for short-skirted, big bosomed, stereotypical nice gal fighting characters? I mean, if she were as strong as she's supposed to be, do you think her busty size would be what it is?? Anyhow. xD; I thought 'Start' was good for her.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She didn't know what had started it.

For as long as anyone could remember, Tifa Lockhart did not pay any sort of attention to gawky, gangly, awkward Cloud Strife. It didn't matter that he was probably the nicest, sweetest and politest boy in the entire village; Tifa did not look twice at him.

It wasn't like she didn't know he existed or anything. They were neighbours for as long as she could remember. She could clearly remember the first day she had seen him outside of his house: sitting on the front porch, watching the boys play street hockey. She could see the longing in his big blue eyes to go join them, but she knew he wouldn't. He was too small, too thin and too fragile. She remembered his mother coming to the door after she had looked at him for a while, bringing him back inside with whispered words that made him sigh.

Tifa didn't know why she hadn't spoken to him before, since it wasn't like he was a mute or an idiot of any sort. In fact, he was probably one of the smartest kids their age she knew. Yet she had still kept away from him.

That is, until the day a group of kids, including herself and Cloud, went to Mount Nibel so that she could 'find her mother'.

She knew the bridge was dangerous. She also knew that her assumptions that her mother was just on Mount Nibel and not dead were stupid and childish. She couldn't help believing it, though. She didn't want to lose her mama at such a young age. When she had started across the bridge, none of the other boys followed; only Cloud followed her, urging her to go back, that it was dangerous, that this was stupid. She didn't listen, though; she vaguely recalled yelling at him. Then they had fallen.

She had no idea how she was still alive. She remembered being told that Cloud seemed perfectly fine after the fall, while she had been in a coma. Some adults took that suspiciously; what kind of child that frail looking survived a fall at that length? They called foul play, said dirty things about Cloud; the blonde was more and more ostracized. Yet after she had woken up, she had started to see Cloud in a different light and tried to spend more time around him.

When Tifa had heard that Cloud was going to go to Midgar to become a great SOLDIER and prove to everyone in Nibelheim village that he was good enough for them, even better, Tifa felt as if her best friend was leaving her. It didn't make any sort of sense to her, since she never remembered thinking of Cloud as a friend, let alone a best friend. Still, she had found him sometime the day after she had heard of his leaving, asking him to meet her by the well in the village.

They had met up, sitting at the well and just talking about whatever. Cloud had a lot of things to say, and a lot of big ideas. Tifa realized she admired him for that, and once again wondered why she had never taken any proper notice of him. Finally, she had looked up at him and asked him to keep a promise to come to her aid if she was ever in a jam once he was a famous SOLDIER. He promised, and something like butterflies went through Tifa's entire body, making her feel giddy.

When he had left, she had been one of the few to see him off, waving and calling to him, 'Good luck!' and 'Make sure to keep your promise!' Once he was out of sight, she was sure she had never felt so lonely.

She wasn't sure what had started it. But Tifa Lockhart was undoubtedly in love with Cloud Strife.


	21. Admire

A/N: So, it's been a while, eh? That's because my computer was taken from me for some repairs, and before that I travelled from PEI to Ontario, and before THAT it was because I had a huge case of writer's block. But now everything's good! So I thought that 'Admire' would be a good choice for Aeris and Cloud. : ) Just this little scene I wrote up is too cute to imagine. I can see it happening in the game, even if we never did officially see it. I mean, Aeris is an admirable girl, isn't she? Able to make flowers sprout out of the dead earth of Midgar. Magical. : )

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He sat back on his haunches, watching her as she worked. Diligently sifting through dirt and soil, pulling out weeds and planting new flowers, he had to wonder how she managed to do it.

It was so strange, seeing a garden under the plate. Even above the plate, the land was dead for miles, making it next to impossible to grow any sort of plant, let alone an entire garden. Yet there she was, kneeling down in her bright pink dress, elbow-deep into the dirt. Every day working on her flowers, bringing out their inner shine, urging them to lift their soft heads and open their petals to show the world that they could do the impossible.

Aeris Gainsborough was an amazing woman.

He closed his eyes, rubbing his neck and listening to the surrounding area to make sure no one was coming up from behind to attack him. The atmosphere around them was calm and peaceful, yet the blonde didn't trust it. He knew—just knew—that there would be people coming after him soon enough. He was, after all, a terrorist. At least, a terrorist for hire. He frowned then, opening softly glowing eyes as he stared at nothing.

_'I need to get paid soon…'_ he thought, before looking over to see Aeris staring at him, her head tilted to the side in that sweet way she always managed to pull off, even though she was a grown woman.

"What're you thinking about?"

Cloud Strife looked back at the brown haired girl with her arms covered in dirt, dress stained on her knees and the yellow and white flowers behind her blooming strongly, before smiling slightly as the thought of money disappeared.

"I'm just thinking about how much I admire you."


	22. Ask

A/N: And another! Anyhow, when I saw the prompt 'Ask', I immediately thought of Vincent and Lucrecia. Now, I don't even really like Lucrecia, but I can write about characters I don't like nicely, really! Ahahah. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this installment!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He remembered the first time that he met her, he had not asked for her name.

"_Vincent Valentine reporting for duty Ma'am. I've been assigned your protection." _

"_Ah…no." _

"_Huh?  
_

"_Why would they…send his …?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Oh…Oh! I apologize! This is my first time meeting someone from the Turks. Lucrecia Crescent. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Valentine." _

He remembered when he first asked what she did in the strange lab that was placed in the small hamlet of Nibelheim, where nothing really happened and all the residents were sleepy, lazy people.

"_Doctor Crescent, if I may ask what it is you and Doctor Hojo are doing out here so far from Midgar?" _

"_Oh, we are doing many very important experiments that can't be done in the Midgar environment. But please, Mr. Valentine, I'm not at liberty to say what it is we are exactly doing. So please don't ask again." _

He remembered the first time she had tripped down the stairs, how he had asked her to be more careful.

"_Whoops! Ah, thank you Mr Valentine. I'm lucky you caught me!" _

"_Doctor Crescent, please watch where you're going. I'm not always going to be around to catch you." _

"_Is that so? Haha, I feel like testing this now!" _

He remembered the first time he had asked what her relationship was with Doctor Hojo, and how he had been disappointed to hear her answer.

"_What exactly are you and Doctor Hojo…?" _

"_Married, Mr Valentine. Doctor Hojo is my husband." _

"…_I see." _

He remembered the first time he had asked if he could join her on the roof where he had found her staring at the stars.

"_Doctor Crescent…? What are you doing up here?" _

"_Hm? Oh, Mr Valentine! I'm just looking at the stars. You know, you don't see stars like this back at Midgar. I bet you haven't seen this many stars in all your life!" _

"_Ah…no, I haven't." _

"_Hm? Is there something you want to say?" _

"_I…was just wondering…if I could join you…?" _

"_Of course, Mr Valentine! I'd be happy for your company!" _

He remembered the first time he asked her to call him by his given name.

"_Mr Valentine, I was just wondering if you could help me find—"_

"_Please, Doctor Crescent, call me Vincent. Formalities seem a bit redundant when we live in close quarters." _

"_Ah…then I must ask you to call me Lucrecia! Now! As I was asking, Vincent, could you help me find some of my papers? I've seemed to misplace them…" _

"_Perhaps the office, Lucrecia? You were there late last night." _

"_You know, you're right. Haha, what would I do without you, Vincent?" _

He remembered the first night he asked her to eat with him for dinner when Doctor Hojo was away to report to the President.

"_Lucrecia, are you busy?" _

"_Hm? Oh, no, I'm just staring off into space. There are so many papers to do and sign, and so much to think about, but my mind is just not with me today. To top it off I'm so hungry!" _

"…_Would you like to join me for dinner, then?" _

"_You know what, I would love to!" _

He remembered the first time that he held her hand, how he felt as if he should have asked her first.

"_Ah!" _

"_Lucrecia!" _

"_Oh, thank you, Vincent! I'm sorry, I didn't see that rock. Haha, I'm a bit of an airhead, aren't I? Ah…? Vincent…you're holding my hand…" _

"_Huh? Ah, forgive me, Lucrecia…" _

"_Wait! Don't let go!"_

"_Huh…?" _

"…_I like it." _

He remembered the first time he embraced her. He couldn't have asked for a more special moment.

"_Vincent, Vincent! One of our experiments is finally showing signs of progress in the testing stage! Now we can move on to the experimenting stage on the rats, and after that on a healthy human! This is wonderful!"_

"_Congratulations, Lucre—Ah?" _

"_Oh, I'm sorry! It's just, I was very excited, and you were there and…well…it's in my nature to hug people when I'm excited. Doctor Hojo doesn't like it very much…I'm sorry…" _

"…_It's alright, I don't mind." _

He remembered the first time he had kissed her, it had been a complete accident, as she had fallen over and he had caught her, and when she turned to thank him their faces were just close enough for their lips to brush.

It was the second time they kissed he counted as their first kiss, as the second time he had meant to do it. And he remembered her asking to do it again.

"_Vincent, thank you so much for taking me on this walk through the woods! It's so beautiful out here, and the mansion was starting to become very crowded." _

"_You're welcome, Lucrecia." _

"_It's good to spend more time with you, though. Doctor Hojo isn't very good company nowadays since the experiment has been running so smoothly. Did you know that the testing on the rats is doing wonderfully? We're watching the final stage very closely, and once everything's alright we can start human testing." _

"_That's good news." _

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Vincent, am I boring you? Please tell me if I am—ah!" _

"_I suppose I should apologize, but I don't want to say sorry for something I meant to do. But I do hope you forgive me for my forwardness." _

"…_Ah…uhm….it's…it's all-alright…Uhm…actually…could we, try that again? Please? This time I won't be so surprised." _

"_Hahaha…" _

He remembered the first time they made love together, how she hadn't asked him to stop. Doctor Hoho had once again been gone, leaving the two to their own devices. They had been secretly seeing each other for a short amount of time by this point.

"_Vincent…we shouldn't be doing this…" _

"_Just tell me to stop if you want me to stop, Lucrecia. I will not force you into anything you don't want." _

"_That's just the problem. I want this too much." _

He remembered the moment he learned that Lucrecia was the human, asking her why she had to be the one.

"_Lucrecia, why you? Why not one of the assistants or a woman from the hamlet? Why YOU?" _

"_Vincent, it is an honour for me to be a part of this very important experiment. It will be a scientific breakthrough! Doctor Hojo asked me personally to be the one to do it, and though we may not act like it he is still my husband. Please, Vincent, can't you just be happy for me? I'm going to bring something wonderful to the world." _

"_..Alright, Lucrecia. I'll be happy for you." _

He remembered the first time he asked Doctor Hojo what exactly the experiment Lucrecia was a part of entailed.

"_Doctor Hojo, if I may ask, what is it exactly that Lucre—that Doctor Crescent is doing for this experiemtn?" _

"_Hmmm? Well, Turk, she is to be the bearer of the perfect human being." _

"…_Excuse me?" _

"_I mean to say she's going to give birth to a child that we have perfected for ShinRa of course, you stupid Turk! Now leave my office at once, I have many things to do and you are wasting my time!" _

He remembered the first time he had asked her to give up on the project.

"_Lucrecia, please! This seems unnatural! Can't you just stop doing the experiment?" _

"_That would be like killing a human being, Vincent! I am not a Turk, I do not kill people like you." _

"_Lucrecia, we don't know if that's going to even be a human!" _

"_Vincent, stop it! It is my choice whether I want to do this or not! Stop trying to tell me what to do!" _

"…_I'm sorry, Lucrecia. I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me…" _

He remembered the night when he asked her to marry him and run away together.

"_Lucrecia, I will not ask you to give up the experiment. But please…that child is not Hojo's, and we both know it. Please, run away with me. Marry me. We'll be a family together. I'll raise the child as my own. But we can't stay here. Please…?" _

"_I…I'm sorry Vincent. But…But I can't!" _

"_Lucrecia!" _

He remembered being shot. He remembered the tube. He remembered Lucrecia's voice as she screamed and screamed at Hojo. He remembered the pain, the blinding, white hot pain. He remembered the poison surrounding him. He remembered being put into a dark place. He remembered waking up to an empty lab. He remembered walking through the halls of the mansion. He remembered passing a window and seeing his reflection for the first time.

He remembered, staring into horror-filled red eyes, the first thing to be asked in who-knew-how long.

"_What have I become?"_


	23. See

A/N: Definitely different, and a little bit awkward. But at the same time, I really like this piece. I need to write about the Turks more often-I love them as characters! Sure, they kicked my ass too many times to count, BUT I STILL LOVE THEM! : D

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

All around him was blood, blood and more blood.

Seeping through the soil, tainting it black and killing its life. Pooling into dips in the ground. Moving in twisting patterns as if it was multiple arms, reaching out to grab onto some sort of salvation.

He looked at the bodies in front of him, each with identical bullet holes in their foreheads—his trademark. He watched as Reno and Rude walked among the bodies, digging through personal belongings to make sure they got the correct people, Reno turning the heads away from him, Rude gently shutting their eyes with a silent prayer. He stood away from it all, watching with soulless eyes as they did their dirty work, going over what the report would say for the President to read.

'_Targets mercilessly taken care of? No, that does not sound right. Objective completed? Too cold…We murdered the members of families as were our orders?' _

"Hey Boss!"

Tseng looked over to Reno as he stood by a woman who had crumpled to the ground, her screams echoing in his ears still. "What is it, Reno?"

"You look like you're in pain or something, man. You cool?"

Tseng pursed his lips, looking around the carnage around him, dark eyes staring at each face and memorizing it so that when he went to his in-home temple that night, he could pray to the Wutai Gods to guide them to the afterlife in peace. He nodded quietly then, sweeping back a stray strand of hair that had escaped his ponytail.

"I am fine, Reno. Is everything in order?"

"Yeah, yeah. Got all the people on our list."

"I see."

'_Mission completed without problem. No outside parties saw anything.' _


	24. Scream

A/N:...I like this one. : )

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Without a second thought, she ran into the flame-covered streets of the small town of Nibelheim.

Blonde hair whipped around her face wildly, her green eyes large and terrified. Yet she did not fear for her own life. No, she was afraid for a very different reason.

"CLOUD!" she screamed out suddenly, cupping her hands around her mouth to magnify the volume. "CLOUD, WHERE ARE YOU BABY? WHERE ARE YOU?"

Mrs Strife looked around for another moment, before running towards the Chief's house to see if he would be able to help her find her son. Yet when she came to his front door, eaten away by the angry fire, she saw just a hand on the ground, slowly being eaten away by orange, red and yellow. Feeling her stomach jerk, she turned and bolted away from the scene, running to the windmill in the middle of the town, hoping that maybe if she climbed it she would be able to find her son.

"CLOUD! PLEASE, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING! PLEASE, BABY!"

Suddenly, her foot caught on something and she fell towards the burning ground, landing harshly on her elbows and knees. She kneeled there for a moment before screaming out in frustration, pounding her fist into the ground. She looked up and watched as the windmill was destroyed like so much kindling. Tears streamed down her face, evaporating as it plummeted to the ground. She watched as her neighbours who hated her cried out for help, for salvation, reaching through the smoke and the tongues of flame for a helping hand.

Sitting up on her knees, she raised her head towards the sky, lifting her arms to embrace the stars. As the fire crackled slowly, licking at her hair and her dress, she screamed one more time for her son, hoping that he would scream back.


	25. Share

A/N: I found 'Share' to be a good one for Jesse and the boys of AVALANCHE. I enjoyed writing this. : ) And I'm just crazy updating. xD

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Often times, Jesse found it hard to live in the 7th Heaven bar.

It wasn't as if the building wasn't comfortable, or that the company wasn't good. It was just that, out of all the people who lived there and were part of AVALANCHE, there were only two and a half girls (Marlene only counting as half, since she was still so young). Sharing a living space with four boys day after day, having to deal with their sexism and their macho-attitudes really drove her up the wall at times.

There were good times, of course. Like the time she beat Biggs in a chess match, forcing him to do her chores for a week. Or the time that she and Wedge at an entire large pizza between the two of them, bonding in a way they hadn't before. She thought fondly of the Girls' Nights that she and Tifa would share, including Marlene so that she could feel like a 'big girl' while still have fun dressing up.

She recalled the times she and Barret would stay up late at night, she figuring out the codes while Barret would look over layout maps, trying to figure out where they would have to go to plant a bomb or gather information. She clearly remembered trying to get to know the mysterious Cloud, who at first seemed cold and stand-offish but was really a sweet guy who just wanted things to work out in the end with little to no people hurt.

Then there were those times when the overpowering force of the men would suddenly be upon her. Barret telling Tifa that she couldn't come because she'd be in the way; Biggs and Wedge teasing her for being less physically strong than them because of her girlish figure. The way Cloud would treat her as if she were a dainty thing, watching warily as she walked across pipes and balanced on edges thirty to forty feet in the air, shoulders tense and knees bent, ready to spring at her and catch her if the situation called for it. It was overpowering, and it was because of these reoccurring moments that she sometimes wished she didn't share so much of her life with the boys of AVALANCHE.

Yet now, as she sat bleeding on the ground, staring up at the Plate crashing towards her, she couldn't help but be thankful that she could share her last moments with these boys who tried with all their might to save what they loved.


	26. Catch

A/N: Yeah. I thought Aeris, Zack and Cloud were good for the prompt of 'Catch'. I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The first time someone had fallen from the roof of her church into her flowers, she couldn't help but be upset over the fact that the man who had fallen had crushed a large part of her garden. She worked hard on her garden, after all, and the precious, rare blooms were something she wanted to protect with everything she had.

It was only after she got to know the man named Zack, with his upbeat attitude and charming smile, that she forgave him for crushing a large part of her garden. Though she never did forgive him for breaking her heart when his spirit left the Planet to join her mother's in the Lifestream.

The second time someone had fallen from the roof of her church into her flowers, she couldn't help but be reminded of the first time it had happened. The quiet blonde was nothing like the rambunctious Zack, yet she found his soft demeanour and quiet disposition to be fond qualities. Of course, she was still upset over the fact that he had crushed a large part of her garden, yet unlike the first time she forgave him almost instantly.

She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as she thought of the men her garden had caught in her lifetime, watching with serene green eyes that were fading to blank slates as Cloud ran towards her to catch her as she fell forward in death.


	27. Wonder

A/N: I thought the perspective from Yuffie thinking about Vincent was a good one for 'Wonder'.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She couldn't help but stare at him.

He was so different, so…otherworldly. She didn't know how to describe him, really. She'd never been all that great with words. His long black hair like shredded silk, his crimson eyes like burning wood, burning away the last splinters. His skin was pale in comparison to his dark visage, like a mockery of virgin white doves; the red of his cape reminding her of spilt blood from the innocent dove.

She couldn't help but stare him.

The belts of his outfit reminded her of bondage, locking himself within his body. He covered every inch of himself, from his arms to his hands to his face. You could never fully see him. He never let you fully see him. It was as if he were trying to hide himself completely.

She couldn't help but stare at him.

His metal boots that looked like they would easily tear into flesh. The holster on his hip, holding his precious Cerberus with the decorative chain, oversized and packed with a powerful punch. She had never met someone who could whip out a gun faster than he could. She had never seen someone with better aim than him.

She couldn't help but stare at him.

The golden claw where a hand should have been was like the chain to his bird cage, locking him away from the others, estranging himself. She could tell he hated it, she could tell he hated himself. He saw himself as this monster, a creature outside of the norm. Something that shouldn't be with other people. But she didn't see him like that. She didn't see him like that at all.

She couldn't help but stare at him.

He filled her with wonder.


	28. Swim

A/N: I thought about using the ending scene in Advent Children for 'Swim', 'cause then it would be all happy and nice. But then I thought of this scene in the game, and I was like, 'I LIKE THAT ONE.' So the original idea was thrown out the window.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

All around him was green, green, green.

He watched with half hooded eyes as he fell through the mako-filled Lifestream, his mouth parted slightly allowing the liquid in through his mouth, down his throat and into his lungs, veins and brain. Slowly he felt himself falling into himself, retreating farther and farther from the reality that was his situation.

It was as if he was thrown into a pool of his own thoughts, his own memories and his own nightmares, and he hadn't learned how to swim first.

He watched as memories of a boy with black hair and a shit-eating grin passed by him; he watched as memories of a girl with long brown hair and a pink bow passed him; he watched as memories of a young boy with blonde hair and sad blue eyes watched the other boys play street hockey. He watched and he watched and he struggled to swim against the onslaught of it all.

But in the end, Cloud Strife drowned in himself.


	29. Change

A/N: I wanted to make it silly, but I also wanted to make it serious. Why not use two different perspectives? : D

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He stared at himself in the mirror, looking with wide, horror filled eyes at the monstrosity before him.

Wig (sanitized beyond the standard, brushed to a sheen, braided, and sprayed to fit with his ridiculous gravity-defying spikes) placed on his head against his will; tiara (sparkly, shined to a polish, obviously fake) shoved onto his head as he squawked in indignation; make up (good lord don't make him remember) pasted onto his pale, effeminate face. Shoved into the male equivalent of lingerie, heels, and a shiny, silky purple dress he didn't have any real choice in picking, he made to be a rather lovely, if uncomfortable, looking woman.

It was horrific.

It was even more horrific when Don Corneo stared at him with hungry eyes, making him wish with all of his might he could change for Gaia's sake into his usual attire. He'd feel less…exposed.

* * *

He stared at himself in the reflection, looking with wide, horror filled eyes at the monstrosity before him.

Eyes (red as blood, as rubies, as life) stared at him in shock; skin (paler than snow, colder than ice, warmer than fire and harder than rock) glowed in the luminescent lights; hair (black as ravens, shredded into sloppy layers, living a life of its own) fell into his eyes, making him look sallow and sickly. Thrown into a red cloak that wrapped around him entirely, black outfit his own cage of leather and buckles, and a shiny, golden claw that separated him from the rest of the world created him into the fiend that he was.

It was horrific.

It was even more horrific when that blonde haired, blue eyed, effeminate faced boy above him looked at him with shock, horror…and acceptance, making him wish that he could change back into the Turk he once was with his suit and his gun. He'd feel less…exposed.


	30. Stay

A/N: 'Stay' is definitely a good one for Tifa and Cloud, I think. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Wait! Please don't go!"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder to see his childhood friend, his childhood love, and his childhood demise looking at him with bright brown eyes, newly cut brown hair playing around her slim shoulders. She had her hands pressed against the counter of the bar, hoisting her up as she leaned over the side to try and grab his attention. Her mouth was skewered into a tight-lipped line, her chin wobbling as she tried to hold in her distress. He sighed inaudibly then, turning to look at her properly.

He adjusted the bag over his shoulder that held his meagre belongings, motorbike goggles resting around his neck, red ribbon of remembrance still clutched tightly in his hand, afraid to tie it over the slowly developing oozing wound he had on his arm that she didn't know about. He didn't want her to know about it. It was his own problem, and he had to figure out how to fix it himself.

"You can't just leave us. We need you!"

"Tifa."

She started at her name, and he sighed again, lowering his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I can't stay here…right now. I have things that I need to take care of."

"Well, that doesn't mean you have to go—"

"By myself."

Silence slipped over their heads then, blanketing and strangling them slowly as it settled heavier and heavier on them. When the silence started to stuff his ears full of cotton, he turned again to the door.

"Cloud."

Pausing once more, he rested his hand on the doorknob, waiting for her to talk.

"Stay. Please."

Closing his eyes, he inhaled slowly through his nose before twisting the doorknob and stepping out of the bar, leaving Tifa to stand alone at the bar, staring at his back.


	31. Fly

A/N: Just something I thought up when I saw this prompt. I thought it went well. : D

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Stepping forward slightly, he looked down with blood red eyes as the slight blonde man who had saved the world too many times came hurtling towards him, like a ragdoll thrown in the air by a child, haphazardly flying before it fell to the ground uselessly and with an arm torn off.

He saw the determination on his face, saw the set of his teeth, and he knew that even if he was a ragdoll doomed to fall to his own useless death, he'd do it because he was meant to do it. Because he had saved the world too many times, and he would continue to save the world too many times until it finally killed him.

So, with that thought in mind, Vincent Valentine stepped off of the ledge, grabbed onto Cloud Strife's hand, and swung him up like that child tossing the ragdoll, muttering only one thing to him as he went on his destined haphazard journey.

"Fly!"


	32. Play

A/N: Barret and Marlene for this one, since I think that their relationship would be the sweetest thing on the planet.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He leaned back against the bar counter, watching as she ran around the new building with the excitement and curiousity only one her age could have. The sight of her smiling face and bright brown eyes made him smile, his scarred cheek stretching as he showed his teeth.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned to look at him, short brown hair whipping into her face at her sudden movements. "Daddy! Come and play with me!"

Barret grinned, hefting himself off of the stool to lumber over to his daughter, scooping her up in one arm and swinging her around. She squealed in delight, holding onto his vest with a white knuckled grip, her feet swinging like one of her ragdolls. He stopped spinning then, hugging her tightly and looking down at her with the fondness only a father could have towards their daughter.

Marlene smiled up at him, bright and happy and innocent, before she lifted herself onto his shoulders using the strange metal arm he had as support. Once seated she wrapped her arms around his head, resting her chin on the kinky black hair. "Run Daddy!"

"As my princess asks," Barret growled out gently, before he ran outside of the bar, jogging around Seventh Heaven in the 7th Sector, Marlene laughing.


	33. Open

A/N: I wanted to do something with Sephiroth again, and for some reason I thought of this. I'm sure there was at least one moment in Sephiroth's life that he was held in his mother's arms and loved. Right?

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She hummed softly as she rocked back and forth in the rocking chair, brown eyes focused solely on the tiny bundle in her arms. Swaddled in soft blue blankets, the babe was remarkably pale and quiet for a newborn. One hand gripped tightly to the woman's index finger, the other resting on the smooth forehead covered in downy soft silver hair.

She stared at his peaceful features quietly, listening to the sounds of people walking outside and her husband talking excitedly to his partner about the breakthrough that they had just made. She traced with her eyes the soft chin, small, button nose and quietly parted lips. She memorized the curve of his cheek, the slant of his closed eyes, and the sight of his little chest rising and falling as he slept.

Quietly, Lucrecia leaned down and brushed her lips against his silken skin, pulling back in time to see the baby Sephiroth open acid green eyes for the first time.


	34. Protect

A/N: Yeeeup. Cloud was perfect for this one.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

Ever since he was small, Cloud Strife wanted to be a hero.

His mother used to read him stories of knights protecting damsels in distress, and after each story he'd stay up late into the night playing out being the knight, protecting the damsel Tifa.

Of course, when she learned of these games she had laughed at him and called him weird.

As he grew older, he would start to protect things that couldn't protect themselves. Like the cat and her litter behind the pub. Or the smaller kids who only just wanted to play with the bigger kids as the bigger kids were their idols.

Yet those kids would throw rocks at him and call him stupid for interrupting their game, and that cat with her litter died in the winter due to the cold and starvation.

So he left Nibelheim to become a great hero and protect the people from their vicious enemies, whether that be the people from the far off country of Wutai, or from the terrorist group out to get ShinRa.

Yet the bigger, meaner recruits in the base would push him around, call him weak, pathetic, girlish. He'd be beaten, kicked when he was down, and even molested.

Then he was assigned on a mission with his best friend and his hero, Zack and Sephiroth. They would go to Nibelheim to look at the reactor and see what was causing all the monsters to attack the small town that he had grown up in, protecting them.

He couldn't even fight against the monsters, hiding in the dark as his stomach lurched from the after effects of the car sickness, feeling green and small.

Then Sephiroth went crazy and started to attack the people of the town, setting everything on fire and heading towards the reactor. Zack followed after him, and Cloud followed after Zack, knowing that Tifa had gone after his hero when he had killed her father in cold blood.

Yet he only made it to see Tifa bleeding on the ground, looking like a corpse, Zack flying out of the back room only to hit one of the pods that held the humanoid monsters, head thwacking against the metal, knocking him unconscious.

He attacked Sephiroth in revenge for his mother, for Tifa's father, for Tifa, for Zack, for the village, for everything.

He couldn't protect himself from being impaled and tossed like garbage into the metal wall, knocking him unconscious.

He was tested on, prodded and poked and stabbed and recorded for the scientist Hojo, who'd always given him bad vibes, who always stared after the recruits like they were lab rats.

He could only watch as Zack went through the same torment.

He could only listen as Zack spoke to the truck driver, talking about what they would do once they reached Midgar, City of Despair and Dreams.

He could only listen as his best friend was shot down for trying to save them both.

He watched as Tifa cried out in horror as he fell towards his doom to the underground below.

He met the one girl that he could protect, wearing pink and a smile and dirt under her nails.

He struggled against the voice whispering in his ear to _give it to him give it to him give it to him_.

He cried out internally as he watched his traitorous hand give the Black Materia to the corpse-like, quiet visage of Sephiroth.

He ran up to her on the altar, fighting with himself when he almost stabbed her; winning against himself in the end, feeling thankful that no danger was around them.

He watched in complete horror as the seven-foot blade sliced through her stomach, the man in leather and nightmares smiling behind her, looking accomplished as she fell forward in death, ribbon falling loose, White Materia falling to the earth below the water.

Ever since he was small, Cloud Strife wanted to be a hero.

And yet he always failed in protecting what he wanted to protect the most.


	35. Run

A/N: Yeah. I had always wondered what the hell Yuffie was doing in that forested area, and why she decided to attack Cloud and his gang. AND SO THIS WAS BORN. MWAHAHAAHA.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She could feel her legs burning as she fled, her heartbeat the only thing she could hear, her lungs expanding and contracting the only thing she could think of.

Brown eyes looked around the foliage, green, brown, black, blue, grey, red the only things she could comprehend. She wasn't sure what she was running from anymore. She wasn't sure if the thing chasing her was still chasing her, or if she was just being paranoid.

Suddenly, her foot tripped over an upright root, causing her to collapse to the ground, her chin skidding across the grass, the heels of her palms digging deep into the compact dirt. She could feel something crick in her neck, her spine snap all the way up from the base to the neck, and her eyes were briefly blinded by blades of grass, ants, and a spider that decided it wanted to crawl across her nose.

Quickly bolting to her feet, she looked around at her surroundings, trying to tell if the monster she had been fighting was after her or had lost interest. Keen ears caught sound of metal clashing against steel-claws, the sound of a monster shrieking as it died filling the forest air, and thinking that maybe if she stuck around the sight of a fight her chaser would definitely think better of attacking her, she ran towards the sounds, jumping into the trees and hiding in the foliage.

She looked down to see a blonde haired man with a large sword accompanied by a girl in pink, a girl in red gloves and a black man with a gun for an arm standing next to a red furred canine-like creature covered in tattoos. Staring at them with wonder, she saw the flash of Materia and her mind immediately blanked of the danger she was in, the location was in, the fact that she didn't know who the hell these people were or how strong they were. She just knew that she _had to have that Materia_.

And with that thought in mind, Yuffie Kisaragi jumped down from her perch in the trees and ran to her destiny.


	36. Create

A/N: Create for Lucrecia in the scenerio of creating Sephiroth during her pregnancy.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Just lay back down and relax, this will only be a moment."

Chewing on her bottom lip, she did as she was instructed, easing herself onto the examination table until she was horizontal. Shifting, she placed her feet into the little foot pedals, looking up at the fluorescent lights as she listened to him sit down, lab coat shifting against his old suit, scuffed shoes squeaking on the linoleum ground.

She sighed softly as she listened to him snap on a pair of rubber gloves, closing her eyes as the hospital gown she was wearing was shifted so that her stomach was revealed. She cringed as she felt a cold liquid spread across the bulge of her stomach, glancing over to the wall as she felt fingers press into different points of her pregnant belly.

Hissing through her teeth, she squeezed her eyes shut as a needle slipped through layers of skin and fat, and the sting of Jenova cells burned through her, causing the hair on her arms to stand, her teeth to ache and for the blood in her veins to freeze. She gasped as the needle was removed, the dress replaced, and the sound of the man standing was heard before a hand smoothed over her forehead, soothing and warm and familiar.

"Nicely done, Lucrecia my dear. We will create a perfect human yet."


	37. Want

A/N: Short, but I didn't think this needed to be long to get what I was trying to say about 'Want' across. Wanting is a very simple emotion. You want something, and you either get it, or you don't. You can want and want and want, but it doesn't matter in the end.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Sqaure Enix.

* * *

He wanted it all.

He wanted the clothes, the luxurious rooms, the fancy houses, the housemaids and the receptionist and the butler and the condo in Costa de Sol.

He wanted the velvet and the satin and the silk and the rich cotton.

He wanted the overly priced haircuts, he wanted the ridiculously priced meals, he wanted the fear of the people.

He wanted the women, he wanted the sex, he wanted the power over their lives and their dignity.

But mostly, Don Corneo wanted the world's respect.

Yet he knew he'd never get it.


	38. Break

A/N: I don't know, I just liked Rufus for 'Break'. I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He stood in his office, staring out his window as he saw the giant ball of fire and energy head towards the iconic ShinRa Inc. tower. His hands rested on his desk covered in paperwork that had yet to be glanced at, his pale fingers trembling, his elbows locking in place. The air around him had suddenly turned static, as if someone had stripped everything of sound and left them with the white noise.

Turning blue eyes away from the window, he looked at the wall with the portrait of his father smirking back at him, his eyes beady and narrowed, his face fat and greedy. He watched as the portrait started to shake, the doom that he was certain he'd suffer coming closer and closer.

The portrait suddenly jerked off the wall, falling to the ground, the frame cracking, the glass shattering to scatter across the floor.

Rufus Shinra closed his eyes as his world started to break.


	39. Fall

A/N: I like this one. The two characters are pretty obvious, but I like how it's written really vaguely. I hope you enjoy it, as well.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He looked up into the brown eyes of his childhood friend and old crush, feeling the tight grip of leather on leather, inwardly wincing as she squeezed onto his fingers with a vice grip.

He watched as his mentor and friend walked towards him with cold eyes, his face in a scowl, his shoulders tense and his posture aggressive.

He could feel his fingers slipping through her fingers, could feel the weight of his uniform, of his sword, of his forgotten memories and of his duties weighing down on him.

He could feel the words bite through his skin, the stare pierce through his heart, and the meaning of both weighing down on his heart, causing him to step closer to the edge.

He closed his eyes as he felt the vice give, feeling himself fall back as if he had meant to do a free fall, letting his arms spread out like wings as if he were just a broken bird and not a broken man.

He cried out as he felt the spell knock into his chest, falling back and staring up into the stare of his mentor as he watched him fall towards the pitch blackness as if he were a toy he had thrown away because he was useless to him now.

Darkness spread throughout his entire being, filling him with painless cotton.

He was blinded by bright white as his head smashed against hard wood before landing on soft dirt and petals.

He woke up to the sight of an angel.


	40. Close

A/N: I thought that 'Close' should be connected to 'Open' somehow, so I used Sephiroth and a similar writing format.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He landed gracefully on the ground, Buster sword in hand, knees crouched in preparation to get up again. He listened carefully for any sound from above, yet when all he heard was silence and heavy breathing, he had to turn to look.

He stared at his acid green eyes opened in shock and utter pain, rich red slipping over virgin white. Silver hair fluttered around him like feathers, the black of his wing tattered, feathers falling in defeat. He memorized the curve of his mouth in a grimace, the shape his hand was fisted in, the twist of his body as he suddenly started to fall.

Quietly, Cloud stepped back as Sephiroth closed his eyes for the last time.


	41. Search

A/N: I like it. : )

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He couldn't feel anything except for the pain in his chest and the rain on his face.

Staring up dully at the grey, crying sky, the only thought that went through his head was, 'I wish it was sunny. Rainy days always make me feel so tired.'

He sighed, unnecessarily now since what did he _really_ have to sigh for?, before closing his eyes and listening to the rain patter on the muddy ground around him and the thump of his heart in his ears. He shifted, hissing through his teeth, wishing that he'd get to that stage of past numb, before opening his eyes again to stare at the muddy sky.

Yet the sky wasn't muddy.

He stared at the sun, at the bright pink clouds. He stared at the clear sky and the clean atmosphere. He listened to absolute silence.

Watching the hand reach out to him from above, Zack Fair grinned, taking hold of his mentor's hand.

He found what he'd been searching for.


	42. Try

A/N: This was just a sweet little idea that I had on these two, since I think they're the damned cutest parent/child relationship in ALL of the Final Fantasy series.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The first time he had held her, he had sworn to himself that he would protect her from any harm that came her way.

So from pushing away rocks in her path to leading her across the street to bandaging her knee when she fell, he did everything to keep to that promise. And then the attack on their little mining town happened, and he was torn away from her for so long afterwards.

When he finally got her back, he swore to himself to protect her from those who would wish harm on her.

So he bombed their towers and he foiled their plans and tried to destroy their purpose. And then their general who had been dead for years returned and called upon a great calamity, causing the world to panic and causing him to leave her behind with the mother while he travelled with them to save the Planet.

When he finally returned to her, he swore that he would never leave her behind again.

So he took on odd jobs and earned money, trying his best to live in this dying world with its stigma and its rotten core. He took on mining oil and he made a profit, getting a soft-metal arm instead of a grafted gun; getting a purpose in life. He had to leave her with friends, but he called her day after day, keeping in touch, telling her 'Daddy's here'.

When he came back for her, he swore that he would raise her right.

So he put her in the best schools and made sure she was clothed and fed and happy as could be. He played with her until she became too old for playing; scared off the boyfriends he knew were just using her to meet her famous guardian; watched her grow from an affectionate child to a loving teenager to a beautiful adult.

And then one day she came up to him and said, 'Daddy, when you walk me down the aisle, will you make sure not to cry?'

And Barret Wallace simply sniffed and muttered a gruff, 'I'll try'.


	43. Chase

A/N: So, I haven't updated this one in a while! I hope you enjoy this little snippet!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"We're chasing down Zack?"

He looked up from his desk covered in important papers and orders from the head of ShinRa Co. Raising an eyebrow at the redhead standing in front of him, he shrugged a shoulder and looked back at the papers before him, deciding they were much more important.

"Tseng!"

"Yes, Reno. We're hunting down Zack and a cadet he has with him. They're fugitives." He paused, looking up at him. "Is there a problem, Sinclair? Will I have to assign another with Rude?"

Reno glared at Tseng then, gritting his teeth before he scoffed and looked away.

"No."


	44. Imagine

A/N: I wanted this to be happy and stuff. Instead, it turned kind of bittersweet. Hm.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She crouched among the yellow and white blooms, humming to herself happily as she ran her fingers over the silken petals. The soil was soft, her feet sinking into the dirt as she pressed her weight against it; the air around her was heavy with the rain that had fallen a few hours ago. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling as if she could fall back to when she and the flower girl would kneel amongst the blooms and tend to the flowers, the flower girl smiling at her and telling her the secrets to creating beautiful blooms even in the most dismal of places.

Opening her eyes, she imagined for a moment that the flower girl was next to her, laughing at something that she had said and calling her a 'sweet, wonderful child' again. She imagined that she was braiding her hair, running her long, stained fingers through the brown strands. She imagined that she was being hugged tightly by the woman, reminding her of her mother.

Marlene imagined, just for a moment, that Aeris Gainsborough was not dead and gone.


	45. Smile

A/N: I thought it'd be kind of fun to do this.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He knew they were in one of the most horrible positions that they could ever be in.

He knew they were surrounded, seven to two, and that the blonde's group of ragtag comrades could easily pummel them if they worked together and used their strengths in the right manner.

He knew his partner Reno was shifting nervously beside him, unsure of what to do with himself, unsure of what to do with him, and unsure of what to do in their situation.

He knew, most likely, that they were going to feel this beat down in the morning.

Yet Rude couldn't help the smile that flickered across his lips sensing that passed all the incoming pain and panic and unfair situations they were in, that this was going to be fun.


	46. Escape

A/N: Just a little somethin' based on the escape scene from the ShinRa jail cell, when the group of heroes find themselves trapped by President Shinra. I believe this scene is right before they find President Shinra dead with Sephiroth's sword impaled through his back.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

She stirred on her bed as a dry _click_ sounded through the room, echoing off of the metal walls and floor. Opening heavy lids, she looked at the bland ceiling before rolling her head to the side to look at the wall that separated her from Cloud and Tifa's cell. She frowned as she heard scuffling, before muffled voices outside of her door, sounding both confused and panicked. Sitting up slowly, her eyes widened marginally when her door suddenly opened and Tifa came rushing in, coming to her bedside.

"Aeris, something weird's going on. We've got to get out of here while we can."

She simply nodded, standing up just as Cloud came into the room.

"Come on, let's follow Nanaki!"

She rushed out of the cell, biting back a gasp as she saw the dead guard on the ground, Barret next to him. She could see that the big dark-skinned male hadn't done it, but the question was, who did?

Leaving the thought unanswered in her head, she ran after Tifa and Cloud, escaping her prison within the ShinRa building not for the first time in her life.


	47. Treasure

A/N: For some reason, I like the thought of Cloud going back for Aeris' pink ribbon after it fell off from her braid when she was killed by Sephiroth. I can see him taking comfort from the familiar object as he continued on his quest.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He had gone back into that blasted city late in the night.

Perusing the quiet hallways with the echoing voices of the dead, he imagined _her_ voice amongst them, whispering to him in a language he couldn't understand but a tone that he could. He imagined her leading him towards _that place_ with gentle, guiding hands and little whispers promising him lies.

He hopped along the stone pedestals, keeping a careful balance so that he wouldn't fall into the water below. He walked all the way up to that damned _altar_, where the floor was beautiful white marble and bleeding red stained in smears and smudges. It reminded him of a canvas that a child had gotten its hands on, smearing red paint onto the pure white to create something only _they_ could understand.

He paused at the top, looking around before he spotted the bright pink ribbon. Walking carefully across the altar, as if afraid it would break if he stepped on it _just so_, he bent down and picked up the faded, old silk. He rubbed it between gloved fingers, staring at it contemplatively before he nodded to himself and stood. Hopping back down the stone pedestals, staring down at the water that had sucked in the White Materia and the flower girl without so much as a care in the world.

He walked back out of the ghostly hallways, he imagined that _her_ voice was whispering to him that he had more to do, more to see, more to save and more to fail.

And he clutched to that ribbon like a treasured reminder.


	48. Walk

A/N: So, I hadn't used Reeve or Cait Sith yet, and since basically they're the same character, I thought this was a good one for them. During this part of the game I was actually so sad that Cait Sith was all sorts of destroyed just trying to help his friends, and then he was just replaced. And I know that Rufus doesn't really control them like this; he probably just has screens showing him what they see. But I liked the idea of him actually having to make the decision for the both of them.

EDIT: Why does no one point out that I had THE WRONG CHARACTER?

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He sat in his dark office, the glow of the screen washing over his face like a sort of mystical light. In his hands his controller rested, his thumbs just above the buttons that would make his character move.

He didn't know what he was going to do. He was in such a difficult position.

On the one hand, he could help his newfound friends and begin to save the world.

On the other hand he could leave it up to them and just stay out of it as he had intended.

His grip on the controller tightened, and he swore under his breath, before he sighed and nodded to himself. His decision made.

Slowly, Reeve made his character Cait Sith start down towards the bottom of the temple where the Black Materia rested, determined to retrieve it and help to save the world.


	49. Persevere

A/N: I like this. : ) I need to write Zack as alive and breathing and happy more often. I think most of his appearances has been his death, or he's already dead, except for maybe two. Ahahaha.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Augh!"

The recruit cried out as he was flung back, landing heavily on the practice mat. The whistle was blown then, and the country boy from Gongaga muttered darkly as he glared at the ceiling, his head spinning and his shoulder aching because of the way he landed. He could hear the instructor talking to the class then, saying what he did wrong and what his opponent did right and how they could both improve. Slanting his eyes to the side, he saw the smiling face of one of his new acquaintances.

"Here," the boy offered his hand, which the dark haired boy gladly took. He was yanked up to his feet then, settled into a standing position and his shoulder was patted in a friendly manner. "You know, you leave your left side open when you lunge."

"Do I?" Zack asked, scratching the back of his head. His sparring partner, Kunsel, nodded, smirking at him as he placed a hand on his hip in a know-it-all manner. "Jeez, I guess I have to fix that."

"I'm sure your mentor's told you about it before, yet you haven't fixed it." He tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner, dark brown hair fallen into his flat eyes. Zack shrugged then, grinning and folding his arms behind his head. "Why is that?"

"I dunno. I guess I just wanted to see if I could persevere with all my faults."

"…That could get you killed."

"It could also save my sorry ass."

Kunsel stared at him for a moment, thinking the boy in front of him absolutely insane before the instructor told them to start again. The two got into position, Zack slightly crouched with his legs spread apart and his hands lifted to get into offense or defence, Kunsel in a more boxer-like position. The whistle blew, and Kunsel watched as Zack lunged forward, leaving his left side open like always.

He ducked in to go for the attack when suddenly Zack's knee came into his vision and knocked him in the chin, causing him to fly back. He landed on the mat with a thud, and the whistle sounded as the instructor once again turned to talk to the other recruits. Zack walked over then, helping him up.

"I think I get what you mean now."


	50. Wake

A/N: Just a moment I thought could have totally happened with Zack and Cloud to keep their friendship strong. : ) Zack's totally a hyper-active morning person, and Cloud is probably low blood pressure and murderous before eleven in the morning. Ahahaha.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He groaned tiredly as he was shaken from sleep, pulling down the edge of his comforter that had somehow gotten over his head in the middle of the night to see what was bouncing on him. Taking one look at the hyper-active SOLDIER Second Class who decided they were going to be best friends after _one_ mission in Modeoheim, Cloud grunted and pulled the blanket back over his head.

"Clooouuuud!" Said SOLDIER Second Class yanked his blanket off of him, revealing his bare chest and legs to the freezing temperatures of his dorm room. He squawked indignantly, eyes snapping open as he shot up and curled into a ball. He glared at Zack then, shivering on his mattress as the raven- haired man opposite of him simply smiled and held his comforter without shame. "You have to get up! You have a day off, right? Well, I pulled some strings with Sephiroth and so I have my day off today, too! I wanted to take you into town and show you some of the sights since you're still new here right? Right?"

Cloud sighed, raising an eyebrow at the hyper-active SOLDIER, wondering where he got this amount of energy at—he looked over at his clock—seven in the morning.

Yet as he continued to watch Zack, smiling at him and babbling about some sort of restaurant that had just opened, he couldn't help but not mind that he was woken up.


	51. Read

A/N: Of course I chose Sephiroth for this one. It was _kinda_ obvious, no?

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He had always enjoyed reading.

It was one of the few pastimes that he could control within his life. It wasn't like training, where he had a strict schedule to follow through with day-after-day. It wasn't like paperwork, because only the truly insane thought of paperwork as an enjoyable pastime. It wasn't even like talking to a few of the SOLDIER First Classes that surrounded him day in and day out, discussing battle tactics, past victories and losses, and sharing war stories as they showed off their battle scars (he never had battle scars).

Reading was just a quiet, enjoyable hobby that he divulged every once in a while when the training became too much and the paperwork towered too high and the battle stories became dull and repetitive.

So when they had arrived in Nibelheim—quiet, sleepy and dopey—and he had found the secret laboratory in the secret basement filled with secret books, he had thought himself to be in what he supposed was heaven; he could read and continue with his mission, as it included reading.

What he did not know, as he reached forward to grab the first leather-bound volume, was that he was going to find out his entire life's history within the mouldy pages.


	52. Hide

A/N: I had an idea about the kids playing hide-and-seek. I also had the idea of using Zack and Cloud when they were on the run. I decided to use both in a clever way. AHAHAH.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

He sat on a stool in front of the bar, his back to the bar tender (some younger guy Tifa had hired to help her in the bar; he was all right, but he didn't mix drinks like Tifa did), his gaze to the common area.

Marlene and Denzel were playing Hide-and-Seek with some of the other neighbourhood kids. It was raining outside, the puddles in the ditches rising to ankle level, the winds too cold to play in. Tifa had volunteered the bar for the kids' play area, as it was large and Tifa could keep an eye on them all to make sure they didn't hurt themselves.

At the moment, though, the fighter-turned-supermom/babysitter had stepped out, leaving the protector of the planet and local recluse in charge of looking after the munchkins.

Cloud sighed.

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he looked over the group of kids once more to make sure none of them were hurt or crying or being left out. His slightly glowing blue eyes swept across the room, landing on Denzel crouching down next to a young boy with blond hair and a slight frown on his young face. Cloud frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he watched Denzel speak to the boy, reaching forward and ruffling his hair affectionately.

Something suddenly squeezed around Cloud's throat, and he was thrown out of the present back into his own memories, recalling a time when the dark-haired SOLDIER—Zack, his name was Zack once—crouched beside him in the background of a bright sun and craggy rocks. He saw through fading vision tainted green as Zack reached forward and ruffled his spikes affectionately, grinning at him brightly.

He watched as he walked away, when all he could do was watch and weakly lift his hand to stop him…

Cloud jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at Tifa standing next to him, though she was looking at the kids.

"Denzel's opening up so much around the others. It's good to see, isn't it?"

Turning to look over at Denzel and the boy again, he saw that the blond was smiling and Denzel was grinning shyly back. The last images of his memory faded, and he smiled a little weakly.

"…Yeah."


	53. Let

A/N: Probably just a conversation that happened in the Lifestream between our favourited flower girl and SOLDIER First Class about a certain emo blondie.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

"Let him come home."

She turned to look at her eternal companion, watching his desperate expression from the twist of his mouth to the look in his eyes to the position of his hands at his sides, fisted but trying oh-so-vainly to look relaxed. She knows, deep down and even deeper, that he just wanted everything to stop and for things to finally end in peace. She knows, deep down, that Zack Fair just wanted Cloud to be allowed to die.

She knows and she wants it, too.

But she knows that she can never let it happen.


	54. Be

A/N: I had noticed I had a severe lack of Genesis, for though I dislike the man, I'm sure if I wrote him properly I'd love him like I love Angeal and them. So yes. SOME GENESIS! With a side of Angeal, since he's fun. : D

Anyhow, I had always kind of wondered what made Genesis leave. Well, I know _why_ he left, but I guess what I wanted to know what, how did he first react to his 'monster-like' qualities. And did he know what it was all about at first? It's been a while since I've played the game, so he could've known. Or not. But this is just an idea. : ) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII Characters and Places belong to Square Enix.

* * *

The book clattered to the ground, though he did not seem to notice it at first.

He was too busy staring at himself in the mirror, wondering when everything had changed so horribly…so drastically.

There was nothing particularly different about him. He still had his reddish brown hair, falling over his eye in a manner that annoyed him and made women swoon. He wore his usual custom-made uniform, going against protocol because that was what he did. Hell, he still looked as sarcastic and narcissistic as he always had.

Yet he knew everything was different. Everything was changed. Everything was _wrong_.

All because of the flash of _something not right_ he had seen not thirty-five seconds ago.

There was a knock on the bathroom door and he jumped, looking over at it with narrowed eyes. "What?" he hissed, feeling himself fold in slightly, as if trying to protect himself from unseen enemies.

"Are you all right, Genesis?" Angeal's voice, concerned, quiet, gentle. So like the man he had always known. So like the boy he had always looked up to.

"I'm _fine_, Angeal," Genesis said sharply. This was not the first time the man had ask him this. "Leave me _be_."

He heard a soft sigh, before footsteps walked away. Once he was sure he was alone, he looked back at the mirror, breath caught in his throat as once again he saw the ink-black shadow of a wing.


End file.
